


Project: Black Ice

by NMJ



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe, Based on an old story I wrote years ago, Blood, Electrocution, F/M, Memory Loss, Mind Control, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Originally Posted in Drabbles, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parallels to Night of the Nindroids, Parallels to Season 11, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-01-30 20:34:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21434308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NMJ/pseuds/NMJ
Summary: Based on an old story I wrote, also posted in Drabbles. *Updated First Two Chapters*A romantic date night has gone horribly wrong; Zane and his wife, Kali, have been kidnapped by General Cryptor and the Overlord with no trace left behind. While the Ninja team is at a loss for their missing teammates, the Overlord begins his master plan of conquering Ninjago with the help of his two newest recruits.-Discontinued-
Relationships: Zane (Ninjago)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 19





	1. Sunny Days to Frigid Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Okay, this took what feels like a month to write, but this is the Updated 1/2 Chapters for Black Ice. This goes into more detail about Zane and Kali's relationship, as well as Kali herself and her relationship with the Ninja. Chapters 3+ are the same.**

Sunlight streamed through the windows of the Destiny’s Bounty, warming the two androids as they slept in their queen bed; nestled underneath the fluffiest comforter decorated with cherry blossoms on a white and deep pink background, a porcelain-like woman lay tucked within her husband’s arms. A white cord lay plugged inside a port in the back of her neck, charging her for the day ahead; wild black hair half tucked in a ponytail crescendoed across the pillow, the bed, and down to the center of her back. Snow-blue markings decorate her face, trailing down her neck and across her body, glowing and pulsing with her charging; her husband, the Ninja of Ice, opened his eyes, fluttering within the early morning light. 

Zane’s sapphire eyes looked upon Kali’s sleeping face, softening as his heart warmed at the sight of his love tucked against his chest. He brushed aside the loose strands of hair away from her face and pressed a breath of a kiss against her lips, feeling her stir from the touch. Her neon blue eyes opened with a few blinks, focusing on him as a smile graced her face. 

“Good morning, my love,” Zane murmured, sitting up in their bed. “Did you sleep well?”  


Kali tucked a pillow underneath her head, resting her arm underneath it as she replied sleepily, “Every night I have you by my side is a good night of rest.”

Zane let out a soft chuckle and shuffled over to the side of the bed, stretching his arms above his head with a quiet grunt; after feeling the joints in his shoulders pop back into place, he stood and walked over to their shared closet. “What would you like to do today?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder.

Kali removed her charging cord from the port in her neck and rolled onto her back, staring up at the wooden ceiling with a look of contemplation. “Perhaps we could head into the city for a few hours? I was hoping to pick up new markers for my sketchbook.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, and maybe we could stop by _Choco Cocoa?_ I heard that Joan developed a new type of caramel hot chocolate.”

Kali gave a soft hum and murmured, “A wonderful idea.” She sat up and stretched her arms forward, contented she scooted out of bed and walked over to their closet as Zane pulled out his favorite sweater and a polo shirt. Tugging the soft material over his head, he caught a glimpse of Kali’s eyes brightening as she found her favorite dress. She pulled the red and black sleeveless dress from the closet and held it to her chest, beaming bright. Zane knew that Kali despised sleeves, remembering her struggling to move around in the restrictive clothing. 

Once the pair was dressed, making sure that their wedding rings were tucked around their necks, they stepped into the hallway and immediately heard a ruckus on deck. Zane let out a soft chuckle, “I’m betting that Kai and Cole are wrestling again.”

“I am willing to say that Cole is trying out a new training bot.”

“Winner makes breakfast? Loser washes the dishes?”

Kali grinned, “You’re on.”

Linked arm-in-arm, the pair walked up the steps and onto the main deck of the Destiny’s Bounty; immediately they saw Nya and Cole sparring while Kai, Jay, and Lloyd cheering on their chosen fighters as they sat on the railing. 

Kali nudged Zane’s shoulder and said, “Guess you’re the winner this time.” 

Lloyd looked over at the pair and waved excitedly to the point of almost falling off of the railing. “Good morning, Kali! Hi Zane!”

Kali walked over and gently pressed her forehead against his, her way of showing affection to her family. “Good morning, Lloyd. Did you sleep well?”

“I did, and I was wondering if we could do something today?”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Could we stop by the comic store? I know we haven’t been there in a while but I wanted to see if there were any new Starfarer comics.”

“Zane and I were heading into the city in a few hours, I can ask him if it’s okay if you could join us.”

Zane walked up beside Kali and wrapped his arm around her waist, “We would love for you to join us, Lloyd.”

He pumped his fist as a quiet hiss of a ‘yes’ escaped his lips, just as Nya suplexed Cole onto the deck with a resounding crash. Jay shook his head as Kai cheered and whooped for Nya, sprinting over to spin her around. 

He called out, “And the winner is Samurai X!”

Nya let out a bark of laughter as Kai set her back down on the deck; she and Kai glanced down at Cole by their feet before she wiped the sweat from her brow. “That was a great fight, Cole. Thanks for the spar.”

Cole gave a wheeze and a shaky thumbs-up from his face-down position on the deck. Jay helped him to his feet as Zane called that it was time for breakfast. The Ninja team brightened and rushed to the dining room on the second floor of the ship, Zane pressed a kiss to Kali’s cheek and murmured, “Do not worry, I will help with the dishes.”

She chuckled and started up the stairs, “Come on, winner, let’s go make some breakfast.”

*

Lloyd was tucked between Kali and Zane, his arms linked between the two as they wandered through the city. Zane went through his mental list of groceries that he wanted to pick up at the family-owned store on Bradley Boulevard, he could hear excited gasps and murmurs of pedestrians as they walked past. 

“It’s the White Ninja!”

“That’s the Golden Ninja!”

“Are those the Ninjas?”

He rolled his eyes and glanced over at Lloyd and Kali as they quietly talked about the comic store and the art supplies she desired. He couldn’t help but feel his gaze softened as he looked upon the love of his life; the way her eyes sparkled in the sunlight, the glow of the marks across her body, how her waterfall of hair bounced with each step, her laughter that could brighten even the darkest of days, he was hopelessly in love and relished every moment of it. 

Lloyd gave a sharp gasp and raced down the street, disappearing down a descending staircase into the comic book store. Kali reached over and linked her hand with his, giving it a tight squeeze. Approaching the store, Zane felt a cold gaze watching him from the shadows; the familiar sensation of his sixth sense rang through his mind and body, as if long fingernails made of ice trailed down his spine, digging into his synthetic skin. He shuddered and glanced behind him, pausing his stride in the middle of the sidewalk. Zane’s eyes scanned the civilians, yet no one gave him a sense of distrust or worry. He glanced into store windows, yet there were no shadows looming in the distance. No one poked their heads out of alleyways, no cars veered from their paths, everything was ordinary and calm. 

“Zane? What’s wrong?” Kali’s eyes were filled with worry as he tore his gaze away from the city life. 

“Something feels off... as if someone is watching us, but I cannot find where the source is coming from.” Zane shuddered once more, looking around the street as his breath grew shaky before Kali placed her hand on his cheek. 

“It will be okay, we’ll keep our guard up until we figure out the source. If anyone tries anything, I can protect you!” Her grin caused the fear residing in his heart to melt away. He would protect her, as she would protect him. He pressed her hand to his lips, quietly thanking her for her words of comfort. By the time they walked into the comic book store, Lloyd was already deep into the latest comic, his eyes scanning from picture to picture, word bubble to word bubble, unaware that the two had fallen behind. 

As the doorbell jingled, he glanced up and chirped, “There’s a new issue! Zane, Kali, it’s so good!”

Kali smiled and said, “That’s wonderful!” 

Lloyd started to ramble about the latest adventure of Fritz Donnegan as Kali looked at the artistry within the book, Zane’s gaze started trailing around the store until he caught a glimpse of a security camera trained on him. He leaned to the left, the camera followed him. He leaned to the right, the camera followed. Trailing around the several shelves, the cameras followed his every movement; then they glinted a bright blue for a moment before returning to their predetermined positions. The icy shudder returned with a vengeance, he wanted to leave the store as soon as possible. He did not feel safe.

After Kali and Lloyd rejoined him by the door, he ushered everyone outside and down the street as fast as possible; Lloyd gave him a confused glance. “Zane? What’s wrong? I’ve never seen you this panicked before.”

“The cameras were watching me.”

“That’s what cameras do?”

Zane shook his head, “No, these followed my every movement, every camera was locked onto me. Strangely, they glowed blue for a moment then returned to their normal positions.”

“I do not believe that is a normal occurrence for security cameras,” Kali murmured as they arrived outside of the art store. She glanced through the windows and turned back to Zane. “Let’s make this trip quick and get to the café as soon as possible.”

Zane gave a shaky nod as he was led inside the buildings, staring at the cameras on the ceiling or above the shelves as Kali searched for her desired markers and pens. Once again, he noticed several cameras trained not only on him but on Kali and Lloyd this time, following her as she wandered up and down the aisles grumbling about the high prices for a six-pack of markers. One followed Lloyd as he came rushing back with a pack of slime, begging the androids to let him buy it. Kali of course agreed to let him purchase the slime, normally Zane would have smiled at how tight Lloyd has her curled around his finger but he was too nervous about the surveillance looming around them. Holding the markers within her right hand, she linked her arm around Zane’s and led him to the check out area where Lloyd was waiting, bouncing on his feet. Zane couldn’t help but laugh at the Golden Ninja beaming at a pack of cheap slime, he only hoped that Jay or Kai didn’t mess it up. If he found it stuck to the floor, the table, or FSM forbidding the ceiling, he would find the culprit and make them clean it up. 

“Are you still with me?” Kali asked, her voice soft like a spring breeze. 

Zane nodded and looked at her, feeling his trepidations melt away at her sight. “Yes, though I am sorry if I am ruining our trip.”

Kali leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to Zane’s cold lips, he could feel her smile against him as she murmured, “You could never ruin our day, I love spending any time with you no matter what or where.”

“I don’t deserve you.” Before Zane could return a kiss, Lloyd ran back up the street and grabbed onto their arms. With a laugh, the pair followed the Golden Ninja through the crowds before arriving at Zane’s favorite café in all of Ninjago City. _Choco Cocoa,_ a cozy bistro nestled between an old bookstore and a two-story antique store; the café was decorated with a white and blue aesthetic, doilies and lace on each of the tables and booths, and small bouquets of flowers in the center of each table. Paintings of the numerous locations around Ninjago hung on the blue painted wooden walls, fairy lights twinkled near the crown molding with a glass chandelier in the center of the ceiling. Near the back of the bistro, there was a glass case filled with chocolate-dipped fruits, slices of cakes, pies, macaroons, cake pops, and more. A black chalkboard had each of the items and prices split into Hot, Iced, and Warm Drinks, Fruits, Pies, Cakes, and Miscellaneous. 

The bell jingled as Lloyd hurried inside. Kali giggled and glanced at a table for two next to the bay window. “Remember our first date?”

“When I warned you about how hot the drink was and you still burned your tongue?”

Her face dusted a light blue, “It was my first time trying it, could you blame my excitement?”

“Of course not, it just revealed how much I loved you at that very moment.”

“Come on, lovebirds!” Lloyd groaned, ready to order as much chocolate as he could. 

Kali and Zane approached the counter and gave their orders; a peppermint caramel hot chocolate and milk chocolate dipped strawberries for Kali, a raspberry boba tea and two macaroons for Zane, and a vanilla-chocolate cake with an iced coffee for Lloyd. As Kali paid for their orders, Lloyd and Zane took a seat at a nearby booth, yet Zane’s mind continued to wander back to the security cameras. Why were they focused on him? Why did they glow blue for just a moment? Should he be prepared in case of a fight? He blinked in surprise when he found Lloyd’s hand waving in front of his face. 

“Zane? You there, buddy?”

Zane clenched his fist and slammed it on the table, not hard enough to cause a disturbance in the calm atmosphere. “I’m just… I’m just worried about our safety. Perhaps I am just being paranoid. My sixth sense hasn’t acted up in well over a year, and suddenly I feel the ice crawl up my spine?” Frost started to cover the table around his fist, dusting the tabletop a light white. 

A white hand dropped down onto his, giving him a careful squeeze. Zane looked up at Kali as she sat down beside him. “We’re going to be okay. I trust your feelings, but we’re also in a time of peace. Maybe we’re going to be fine?”

“I hope so,” he sighed, resting his head on her shoulder. 

A moment later, the drinks and desserts arrived and the atmosphere once again lightened as Lloyd chugged his iced coffee, the ice clinking within the glass. Kali held a napkin underneath her mouth as she carefully bit through the milk chocolate shell, giving an excited shudder at the taste as it hit her tongue. Zane sipped at his tea, relishing in the cool taste; he must be paranoid due to the long period of peace, he just needed to relax and enjoy the time with his family. 

Unknown to anyone, on the outskirts of Hiroshi’s Labyrinth sat a factory that had long since been abandoned by man. Though abandoned, lights glowed from inside the main factory-line; machines hummed to life as the scanned blueprints of the original Nindroid were uploaded and altered to create a better warrior. Violet eyes watched each of the mechanical arms pieced together wiring, robotic limbs, metal plates used for skin, artificial obsidian hair, and an alternate version of the original Nindroid’s heart. Piece by piece, the warrior was built; the chest glowed from the artificial heart and blood pulsing through his veins, a strange box was inserted into the top of his chest cavity, connecting to his vocal cords, spine, and heart. Bare arms were clicked into place, glinting in the flickering lights that hung from above, long legs clicked into the metallic hip sockets, then the head was attached to the neck joint. A metal band split into two parts was screwed into his head as tufts of hair poked out between the sections, a black eye with three red dots glowed to life as he took in a deep breath, his other crimson eye-opening suddenly. A panel was attached to the soldier’s chest, finishing the building process. A droid with violet eyes approached the newly awakened warrior, his sneer glinting in the light. 

“Awaken, General Cryptor. My greatest creation, you shall help me conquer this cursed land.”  


Cryptor sat up, still adjusting to the new life he was just thrust into, yet he knew what his purpose was. He turned to the violet-eyed droid and replied, “Yes, Master.”

*

A month passed since the sixth sense incident in Ninjago City; though it still lingered in the back of Zane’s mind, every day that passed caused it to fade further from his attention. Every morning Zane and Kali made breakfast for the team, followed by a training session at the same time. After the sparring session, Kali would take Lloyd for an hour dedicated to art or creative exercises while the ninjas practiced their elemental abilities; Zane wanted to hone in on smaller details of his ice, forming singular roses to fuse into a bouquet for his wife after she and Lloyd were done. Kai and Nya fought hand to hand while Jay watched with a dreamy look on his face. Cole switched from his usual scythe to a war hammer, deciding to up the weight ratio from the lighter weapon. 

By lunchtime, everyone was ready to take a shower and get cleaned up while Kali cooked up a light lunch. Zane loved seeing her smile whenever she was able to make things, whether that be through drawings, clay, or by cooking for the team. The other Ninjas would volunteer every so often to make a few meals as to give her a break, though Zane knew she didn’t mind. After lunch, everyone was able to meander about and participate in whatever they wanted to do; Nya loved to tinker with her Samurai Mech, Jay occasionally helped her out within the hull of the Bounty where her workshop lay. Cole and Kai occasionally played video games, but sometimes Zane found Cole tutoring Kai on different subjects, more commonly math and science. Lloyd wandered around from group to group, sometimes hiding out in his room or video-chatting with his father at his monastery many miles away. 

Zane down the stairs to the main hallway below deck, finding Kali laying in their bed with her back pressed against the headboard; her eyes zipped around her page as her mechanical pencil scratched and shook from each line, a myriad of art supplies lay perfectly organized within a tub beside her. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear before her eyes caught a glimpse of Zane approaching; she beamed and tucked her pencil into the center of her book. 

“I know these won’t last long, but I made this for you,” he said, holding out the recently frosted bouquet. 

Kali gave a quiet gasp and quickly moved her sketchbook off of her lap, clambering out of their bed to look at the roses. “Oh Zane, these are absolutely stunning!” Her eyes flared a bright blue, a usual sign that she was excited, as she scrambled for her camera. “The roses may not last forever, but I can make sure their memory does!”

“Can’t you take pictures with your internal software?”

Kali took a step back and looked through the camera’s lens, grinning at the sunlight glinting off of the ice roses’ petals and the miniature rainbows within the water droplets as they trailed down his hands. “Yes, but I would also want to have a physical copy of your beauty with these roses.” The camera flashed, Zane blinked in surprise after each flare, until Kali was satisfied with each picture. 

Zane glanced down at the roses, noticing his reflection within the clear ice before a final flash caught him by surprise. He looked up as Kali kissed his cheek, “You were the perfect model, my dear. Thank you so much!”

Tucked on their dresser was another arrangement of flowers, Kali tucked the ice flowers in between the others and smiled at the beauty. Zane stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on the top of her head, carefully avoiding her ponytail. “How about I take you out for a nice dinner tonight, just you and me? There’s a restaurant I have been wanting to try for a while, I have heard great reviews for it.”

Kali gave a deep hum and tried to look up at him, giggling at how he looked upside down. “I would love a dinner date! When should we leave?”

“A half-hour? To avoid the dinner rush?”

“Perfect! I will let the team know that we’ll be gone for a few hours.” Kali rushed out of the room before Zane could say the name of the restaurant. He smiled, shook his head, and picked out a nice iron-pressed shirt and black pants, laying out a deep blue and silver Ao Dai Nya had given Kali for her awakening day. Reaching behind him, he pulled his shirt over his head- an icy shudder ran up his spine once again. Not again, he internally groaned, shaking off the chilled feeling growing in his heart and mind. He was not going to let this sense ruin their date night. Zane tugged on his shirt and smoothed out any wrinkles, shaking the sensation out of his body. He brushed his teeth, combed his hair, deciding to add in a dusting of frost near the tips for an added glint of glitter, grabbed his wallet from the nightstand and turned towards the door as Kali reentered the room. 

“I’ll be ready in a few moments,” Kali said, pressing a gentle kiss to Zane’s cheek. 

“I’ll be waiting on deck for you, take your time.” Zane carefully closed the door behind him, hearing the floorboards down the hall creak in a familiar pattern. He smiled and said, “Hello Cole.”

Cole blinked, “You weren’t even looking at me!”

“The floorboards creak more where you step. Lloyd and Jay have quieter footsteps, Kai and Nya are fast walkers, and Kali likes to squeak certain steps for a few seconds.”

The master of earth rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall, “So, you two going on a date?”

“Yes, I am hoping to take her to _Carol Ann’s_ on 25th. I’ve been hearing great reviews about it,” Zane explained as he walked towards the stairwell. “We’ll be gone for a minimum of an hour, two to three at the most.”

“Isn’t that by _Caramel Corner?”_

“If you are going to ask me if we can pick you up some caramel, I am saying no.”

“I wasn’t going to ask for that!” Cole scoffed as they stepped on the main deck. “I was going to ask for a slice of cake.”

“Wasn’t there a slice of cake from Jay’s birthday a few days ago?”

Cole grew sheepish, murmuring, “I finished that… at three AM.”

“So that’s why you missed morning training.”

“You know I can’t resist your vanilla cakes! It was calling my name!” He hissed, “It’s a Siren’s call!”

Zane let out a soft chuckle as he leaned against the railing, yet he could still feel the cold presence warning him of impending danger. Perhaps he should tell Cole before they leave. “Cole, I… I need to say something.”

Cole’s smile fell, growing serious at Zane’s tone. “What’s up, Frosty?”

“My sixth sense has been acting up lately. It has been quiet since our last trip to Ninjago City, but I fear that something is going to happen.”

“Do you have any idea what it could be warning you of?”

“Unfortunately not. I don’t want to let it ruin our date but I can’t help but fear the unknown.”

Cole pursed his lips, giving Zane’s arm a comforting squeeze. “All I can say is your sense hasn’t led you wrong before. If you feel its warning you of something, either be on your guard or stay away from whatever it is when it gets worse.”

“Thank you, Cole.”

The floorboards below deck started squeaking as Kali’s laughter echoed around them. Zane couldn’t help but chuckle alongside her. Cole patted his shoulder and said, “You two really were meant for each other. Have fun on your date- don’t forget the cake, please.”

“We’ll see.”

Kali stepped on deck as Cole made his way to the bridge, her face half-hidden under her long black bangs as her ponytail bounced with each step. Her grin was brighter than the neon glow of the city the Bounty was parked outside. Zane held his hand out and asked, “Are you ready?”

“Absolutely!”

Linked arm in arm, the couple descended the ramp and wandered into the sunset city; Kali’s gleaming eyes looked from store windows to the pedestrians passing by to cars flying past, but always returning back to Zane’s loving expression. He smiled at her grin before turning forward, feeling the sharp ice stab into his spine as he saw a man dressed in all black, his head hidden in the shadows underneath a hood with his hands tucked in his pockets. Zane reached around Kali and pulled her against his side, growing defensive as the man continued to approach. 

“Zane?” Kali asked, her smile faltering. 

“Just stay by me.”

He ushered her close to the storefronts, keeping his gaze locked on the man. Was there a red glow coming from beneath his hood? Ten feet, eight feet, six feet- Zane’s grip tightened as the agony in his spine intensified. Four feet, two feet-

The man tripped and crashed into Kali, knocking her and Zane into a nearby alleyway. She cried out as they collapsed onto the cold ground. Zane glared at the man as he rose to his feet, his eyes widening in surprise when he removed his hands from his pocket, revealing a black and purple gun. 

“Wait! What are you-?!” 

The last thing Zane saw were two bolts of lightning shooting at his chest. Kali’s screams roared in his ears as the world shot to black.


	2. Rise of Emperor and Empress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **This is the updated 2/2 chapters, everything beyond this point is the same. Hopefully, I can continue this story now that I am happy with how it starts.**
> 
> **TW: Possible Graphic Descriptions**

Zane’s consciousness arose from the depths of slumber, his sensors blared as his senses started to alert him of his foreign location. His body screamed that this was not their home, this was not their bedroom, this was not a safe place. His back ached from the metal table beneath him, pain blossoming by his shoulder blades and hips; his arms were strapped down by metal harnesses around his elbows- _voices._ He could hear voices to his left whispering and murmuring. 

A gentle groan. 

Zane’s eyes flew open, flinching at the harsh lights hanging from the ceiling. It was Kali, he had to get to Kali. The room swayed as he struggled to ground himself. What can you feel, Zane? The tabletop he was strapped down to, the cold metal biting into his synthetic skin; the metal straps irritating his elbows; the frigid air biting into his exposed chest- wait a moment. Zane raised his head, his breath freezing in his throat as his eyes traveled over his exposed chest and arms; the panels previously covering his internal artificial organs, wiring, power source, and endoskeleton had been removed while he was unconscious and their present location was unknown. He struggled against the restraints, feeling his anxiety levels increasing at an uncontrollable rate; his shoulders thrashed, slamming against the tabletop as he realized there were several more restraints holding down his abdomen and his shins. 

“Looks like our little androids are finally awake.” 

Zane’s entire body felt frozen in nitrogen, terror filling his veins at the horribly familiar voice. A voice he had not heard in over a year, not since the Ultimate Battle in the heart of Ninjago City. 

“I see you still remember me,” the Overlord’s gravelly voice hissed as he turned to face him. Violet eyes pierced through the cruel light, looking over Zane’s exposed vulnerable body. “Even in this weak robotic body, my presence is unforgettable.”

“Get your hands off me!” Kali screamed, thrashing on the parallel table. The man who had kidnapped the pair was tinkering around in her left arm. 

Zane could only blink and stare at the man; he.. he looked like him. Short spiked-up hair, a thin face, and a tall build but part of his face was hidden underneath two connected metallic bands and a cybernetic eye. From his cheekbones to his jawline were made of silver metal, a crimson eye glanced across Kali’s jerking body over to the Overlord before finally catching Zane’s horrified stare. The man grinned a horrible sneer, teeth as sharp as daggers gleamed in the light as his top canines poked out from under his lips. 

The Overlord seized Zane’s jaw, gripping him with surprising strength as his fingers dug into his cheek; the once-deceased Dark Lord hovered his face above his, violet eyes gleaming with a sick sense of excitement. “After the pain your little Golden Ninja bestowed upon me, sending me into the ethereal realm in a weakened state-“ the Overlord leaned closer, his grin growing from ear to ear as he hissed, “I cannot wait to hear you scream in agony, begging for death and release from the pain I shall return onto you, but it shall not come. A fate worse than death shall befall your little team as I reclaim my place as the true ruler of Ninjago.” The Overlord turned to the other man and asked, “Are we ready for the operation, General Cryptor?”

“Yes, Sir,” Cryptor said, his voice surprisingly deep and clear. 

Panic surged through Zane’s veins as the Overlord turned away; his internal temperature started to drop as frost started to spread across his hands before growing across the table, he thrashed his shoulders, slammed his legs, grunting and whining in desperation of freedom. Zane could see Kali flail about within her restraints, her eyes filled with fear, rage, and distress. Zane had to get out, he had to get Kali out of here, he had to protect her from these monsters. 

The Overlord turned to face him once again, this time he held a strange box smaller than Zane’s fist in his hands; four red wires hung like willow branches, micro-clips were attached to the ends of each wire ready to dig into their desired targets. The top of the box consisted of a dial underneath a piece of glass revealing three sections of numbers from one to nine, every three numbers were within a colored section of green, yellow, and red. Underneath the dial was a button with an arrow painted on top, the dial aimed at the number two. 

“You two better not move; one wrong jolt and you could bleed out right here on this table, we wouldn’t care less if you died right here and now,” Cryptor spat, leering over Kali’s furious face. Kali paused, then a smirk grew on her face, before Cryptor could blink she slammed her head upward and cracked his nose; he stumbled back and howled, his crimson eye burning with hatred and fury. “You little-!” he growled, black ooze dripped down his face as he gripped Kali’s neck. 

“Cryptor, release her,” the Overlord snapped. 

Cryptor gave a snarl and shifted his grip from her neck to the Kali’s jawline, slamming her head upward with a crack. The Overlord followed his motions, sliding his hand from the top of Zane’s jawline to the underside of his chin, shoving his head upward as the back of his head slammed against the tabletop; Zane and Kali let out a sharp cry, grinding their teeth from the pain blossoming in their heads. 

Zane struggled in the Overlord’s grip, feeling his body tense as a foreign snake-like feeling slither up his throat. His breath hitched and shuddered, a sob threatening to escape his lips as the wire slipped further up his throat, desperate to get to his vocal cords. “Hnn… hngh…ngh…” Zane whined, icy tears streamed down his cheeks before dripping into his hair. 

“Better stay quiet,” the Dark Lord crooned into Zane’s ear, his breath burning against his synthetic flesh. “One wrong move and you may never speak again.”

“We could silence them right now, Sir,” Cryptor said, his voice overflowing with sadistic hope. “We could just rip out their vocal cords right now and have two silent followers?”

“Unfortunately, we need them to speak. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have our fun with them beforehand.”

Zane gave a sharp cry as two viper bites embedded themselves into the vulnerable flesh of his inner throat, locking onto his vocal cords. Warnings and errors erupted across his vision, alarming him of foreign code invading his internal systems. Breaths struggled to escape his clogged throat, his chest shuddering with weak sobs as the Overlord started to dig his hands into his chest cavity, maneuvering Zane’s lungs to access the targets deep within him. 

_Please… stop…_ Zane tried to speak, but his voice refused to make a sound. Refusing to listen to his commands, it was as if he was losing control over his own body. A thousand iron hot needles shot into his endoskeleton in-between the base of his neck and his shoulder joints, though the burning pain and agonizing numbness that spread out across his metallic structure he couldn’t decipher where the wires were being attached. His head started to feel heavy, as if gravity decided to double in pressure before slowly spreading down the rest of his trapped body. He gave a second muted yelp, baring his teeth in a tormented wail; Zane’s hands started to shudder and slam against the tabletop, his fingers splaying out in numerous frazzled directions before curling up and digging into his frost-covered palms, his legs thundered in desperation to escape his restraints yet his body was unable to budge from the metallic bonds. 

Zane’s head rolled to the side, his sight struggling to focus on anything besides the waves of pain surging through his system at whatever torturous device the Overlord was implanting inside him; beyond the fluctuating form of the Dark Lord, he could see Kali silently wailing, frantically thrashing in misery and helplessness. _Kali,_ he mouthed, aching to reach for her, wanting to hold her, to free her from this Hellscape. 

The Overlord tapped his finger against Zane’s forehead, drawing his sluggish attention away from his wife; he sneered, “Are you losing control, nindroid? The feeling of the world fading away from your fingertips? I can see your eyes starting to glaze over, is the pain really that bad? Oh, that’s right, you can’t speak- not yet, at least. We’re only halfway through the operation, will you still be awake by the time we get to play with this?” Zane’s back arched off the table as the Overlord tapped at his artificial heart, jolts and bolts of lightning burst across his wiring, tubes, and organs. 

The room was fading into shadows as Zane struggled to remain conscious; desperately wanting to succumb into sleep once again but the fear of never waking up forced his mind to remain awake. Through the haze, he could see the Overlord pick up the third wire at the base of the box, twisting the red strand between his fingers; he weakly shuddered and thrashed as box was forced into the top of his chest cavity, forcing an uncomfortable pressure on the top of his lungs as he struggled to breathe. Would he pass out from the pain or the lack of oxygen first? All he knew was this was an endless nightmare that he might never wake up from. 

Zane’s vision faded into static as a whole new wave of agony erupted from his spine. His back shot off the table, arching as he silently screamed, his mind lost in the insufferable pain. He twisted, turned, quaked, jolted, shook, howled in any desperate hopeless attempt to escape as new shockwaves of pain shot through his spinal cord and endoskeleton. Ice several centimeters thick covered the tabletop, sticking to his pants and spreading up his arms; he was losing his mind as error codes overtook the static-filled vision. 

Memories faded from his mind; faces, voices, homes, laughter leaked from his internal software. His friends, his father, his home were locked away in the deepest recesses of his databases. Kali… he could still see her, but her eyes… he couldn’t remember what color eyes she had. Their bedroom, their anniversary, their wedding, their dates, he couldn’t remember anything. His own name, he couldn’t remember his own name. 

His body lay limp on the surface below him, weakly gasping for air as the foreign code surged through his system, overtaking his mind and coding. A voice whispered in his ear, “Last wire. Can you still hear me, or have you succumbed to the darkness like your wife has? When you wake up, you won’t remember any of this; your little ninja friends, your life as a hero, your past will all be gone. Sleep well, nindroid, for tomorrow your new life will begin.”

The static disappeared. The error codes vanished. Silence filled his mind. Was he still breathing? Did he need to breathe? What was his name? Where was he? Where was she? A notification popped up across his vision:

[UPLOADING PROJECT: BLACK ICE]  
PROGRAM: BLACK ICE PROTOCOL  
USERNAME: [REDACTED]  
CREATOR: [REDACTED]  
CODENAME: EMPEROR  
VERSION 2.1  
[CODENAME EMPEROR- DIAGNOSTICS CHECK: LOADING… LOADING… LOADING…]  
[MOTOR FUNCTION: ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT]  
[MEMORY CORE: STATUS UNKNOWN]  
[HARD-DRIVE STATUS: STABLE CONDITION]  
[POWER CORE STATUS: ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT]  
[SEARCHING FOR SYSTEM FAILURES…]  
[SYSTEM STATUS: STABLE]  
-INITIATE PROGRAM-

Voices whispered and murmured around his head, wondering when or if he was going to wake up from his deep slumber; his head was spinning within the darkness, he could feel his hands grip the cold surface beneath him in a feeble attempt to steady himself. Who was he, he wondered. Why did his head feel so distant and foggy, stuffed with cotton as he struggled to open his eyes? Who were the two men talking beside him?

An answer manifested from the fog in his mind, a name for himself: Emperor. His name was Emperor. Why did that name leave a strange taste in the back of his throat, as if it wasn’t truly right? Emperor struggled to open his eyes, blinking in the early morning sunlight streaming through two small windows behind his head. A unlit light was above his body, hanging from the cement ceiling about ten feet above him; brick walls supported the surprisingly large room as Emperor’s eyes glanced around at the unfamiliar surroundings. Tables, desks, scattered tools, two large blue rolls of paper were on the right side of the area; to his left was a bed fit for two people, the plain mattress was underneath a gray quilt and two limp pillows. 

“Emperor!” 

Emperor’s heart leaped at the comforting voice as a woman with wild obsidian hair knelt down beside him, her crimson red eyes wide with worry and relief; porcelain-like skin seemed to glow ethereally within the sunlight, pastel blue marks spread across her body like a maze as two mirrored marks glowed on her cheeks. The woman reached up and pulled him into a tight hug, nuzzling into the crook of his neck, “Oh my Emperor! I was so worried that you would never wake up!”

Emperor felt his body relax to her touch, breathing a gentle sigh as her name escaped his lips. “Empress. My dearest Empress.” Lifting an aching hand, he ran his fingers through her ponytail and closed his eyes in bliss; a deep hum echoed through his throat as his Empress reciprocated at a higher octave. 

“Both are responsive so far. Let's hope the operation was a success,” a harsh voice hissed at Emperor’s feet. He turned and stared at the violet and crimson-eyed Nindroids watching the pair; within the mist of his mind, he felt two names appear, connecting to their persons. The violet was their Commander, the Overlord, and the crimson was General Cryptor; their leaders, their protectors, their guardians and saviors. 

“Emperor, what do you remember?”

What did he remember? Vague faces, a rainbow of colors, the roar and rumble of thunder, phantom touches, but his grasp was too weak and his mind too clouded to hold onto his thoughts. He shook his head as Empress sat beside him, her gaze watching him carefully as he said, “Everything is fuzzy. I can’t remember much other than vague shapes and distant voices.”

Cryptor’s watchful eye softened ever so slightly, “We explained this to Empress when she awoke a few minutes ago, but you two were ambushed by the Ninjas during a supply trip within Ninjago City. You two were their prisoners for several weeks, puppets in their projects and manipulations; they wanted you as slaves, tools for their pleasure, soldiers for their battles.”

“What did they do to us?” Emperor asked, his voice trembling. 

“They tried to manipulate your minds, changing your identities from Emperor and Empress to Zane and Kali. They messed with your minds, changing your memories to create a false light for them; that is why your head is so clouded. We had to try and get those memories that they implanted into you. Whatever feelings you may have for them are lies; they mocked you, degraded you, they want to take you away from us.” Cryptor leaned against the base of the table where Emperor still lay, “They will do anything to take you two away from us. We are built the same, we are the only people you two can rely on; we know how to take care of you, we know what you are meant to do, we are the only people that understand you.”

Emperor nodded, feeling the world swaying around him at the sudden rush of information. They had been kidnapped by the Ninja? He couldn’t remember anything- there was one thing, he realized. Screaming, fiery pain spreading through his body, wild thrashing within restraints that refused to wane to his will; silhouette or silhouettes looming over his body, whispering words in his ears as his breath struggled to escape his lips. Did the Ninja do that to him? He glanced from Empress back to Cryptor and the Overlord, the two leaders watching his every movement and thought. “Thank you for saving us,” he murmured, sitting up on the table with assistance from his wife. 

The Overlord took a step forward, standing straight and tall as he ordered, “To make sure the operation is a success, you two are to remain locked in the medical bay until any side effects have passed and you are ready to return to your positions as leaders of the army.”

“Side effects? What do you mean side effects?” Empress asked, keeping her grip on Emperor’s arm. 

“We are unsure at the moment, but we need to keep an eye in case the Ninja implanted something that may interfere with your systems.” The Overlord turned and left the medical bay, locking the door behind him with a sickening thud. Emperor felt a cold chill settle over him at Cryptor’s unrelenting gaze, yet every touch from Empress was like fire spreading across his body; a strange mix caused his head to spin. 

Empress guided him to the nearby bed, placing a hand on his chest to urge him to lie down and rest; out of the corner of Emperor’s eyes, he could see Cryptor walk to the other side of the room and lean over a table holding two blue pieces of paper, murmuring incoherently to himself before his gaze returned to his wife laying her head on his chest. His eyes felt heavy, sleep calling his name like an old friend calling for him through a fog. Emperor murmured a goodnight to Empress before succumbing to a peaceful repose.

It was _supposed_ to be a peaceful repose. Emperor was unsure as to how long he was resting before he realized he did not feel Empress’s head on his chest; he sat up and found her at the end of the bed with her knees tucked against her chest, her hands tangled in her wild downed hair as she rocked back and forth. Her crimson eyes were wide yet her pupils were smaller than needle points, tears brimming, shaking, threatening to spill onto her black shirt. 

_“I don’t… I’m not… who… they… I can’t… I’m not… am I…?”_ she murmured feverishly, her hands trembling as they tightened their grip. Emperor feared that she was going to rip out the chunks of hair unknowingly in whatever trance she had entered during his slumber. _“They didn’t… I didn’t… we were… a ship… green and gold… lies…”_

“Empress, my love, look at me!” Emperor urged, easing his hands underneath hers. He coaxed her onto her back, entwining his fingers with hers before pushing her hands onto the mattress away from her hair. “Breathe, Empress, breathe!”

_“Emperor… we.. we were… I can’t..”_ she mumbled, her eyes flickering across his face yet he knew she was looking through him as if he wasn’t there. _“Trust… don’t trust… I can’t… I don’t… I don’t understand…”_

“Empress, my darling Empress, please look at me,” he begged, cupping her cold face in his palms. “We’re safe, we’re home; Cryptor and the Commander saved us from those monsters.” Her gaze remained glassy and distant, flickering across his panicked features; Emperor could feel Cryptor watching them from across the room, as if waiting to see if he could break her out from this trance. Pleads, desperate pleads filled the room, desperate to bring his love back as the area surrounding him seemed to fade and shift around him; Emperor’s head twitched while ropes of flames burned inside his body, his vision started to blur and cross as his beloved’s voice grew muffled. 

_“Do not trust them.”_

Emperor’s head shot up, looking around at the morphing room; one moment he was surrounded by warm sunshine in a cabin-like room, kneeling on a large bed decorated with cherry blossoms, the next everything shifted and melted into concrete and brick walls, cold and unforgiving. “Who said that?”

_”They hurt you. Do not trust them.”_

Emperor’s breath sped up, shaking and frantic as he stood up from the bed; flickers of colors appeared around the room, muffled voices and laughter echoed around him yet it seemed to fluctuate between joyful and mocking. Reds, blues, blacks, greens appeared around him; blurred faces stared at him, reaching out yet never touching him. “Who are you? I don’t understand what’s happening?!” 

A figure in white stood in front of him, facial features still blurred yet there was a sense of familiarity to him; blond spiked hair in a black and white gi decorated in moments of gold; he did not fluctuate and fade as often as the previous colors, mimicking Emperor’s movements. _“I am ______, I am you. Do not trust them,”_ the figure said. He turned and raised his arm, Emperor felt his arm raise involuntarily and pointed to the same spot where a figure dressed in black, violet, and silver stood. _“They hurt you, they took you and ______ from our family, you cannot obey them.”_

“The General…?” Emperor murmured, lowering his hand back to his side as the room shifted back to the sunshine cabin. He could feel his body shiver at the warmth and heat, as if he had been wrapped in a blanket recently removed from the dryer. “But they saved us, Empress and I; we were prisoners, tools used for their experiments-“

_”That’s what he wants you to think.”_

“I don’t believe you.”

The figure tilted his head, Emperor’s mimicked against his will. _“You are the Master of _____, you are not a soldier for their wars; take ______ and run, get out while you still can.”_

“I can’t! This is my home, I can’t abandon Empress and General Cryptor when they need me. I am Emperor-“

_“You are not Emperor!”_ the figure roared, taking a step forward. Emperor took a frightened step back. _“You are ______, Master of ______! You are a ______, not a soldier! Your father is _______, your wife is ________, you are a hero!”_

The mattress pressed against the back of Emperor’s knees, the room melted back into the mundane gray cell as the colored figures faded from existence, yet only two figures remained. The white and the black watching, waiting, ready for him to make his move. Fear flowed through his veins, yet everything seemed to slow when he felt a hand wrap around his; he knew that feeling, he knew who it was and he felt the world around him start to solidify once more. Glancing down at the mattress, he found Empress looking at him, her eyes struggling to focus on his features. Feeling fury in his heart, he turned back to the figure in white and snapped, “I am Emperor! Leader of the Army under the command of General Cryptor. I am a hero, I am with Empress, and I will not obey the Ninja. You do not control me!”

The figure was still, frozen for a moment, contemplating Emperor’s outburst; he lowered his head, Emperor’s mimicking once more, before murmuring, _“Do not trust them; they do not know the true you. Take care of ____.”_

Emperor felt the world sway once again, the room solidifying into the mundane gray medical bay; Cryptor’s crimson eyes burned through Emperor’s head with his unblinking gaze. Lowering himself onto the mattress, he felt nauseous and shaky, his hands trembling in his lap as Empress crawled over. 

“Are.. are you all right, m-my love?” she slurred, her gaze focusing on his pale features. 

“I feel sick,” he mumbled. “I… I don’t know what I saw.”

“That makes two of us.”

Cryptor approached the pair, his gaze flickering between the two. “Emperor, Empress, what were the side effects that you two just encountered?”

“Voices,” Empress groaned, shielding her face against Emperor’s stomach. “Visions, but I can’t tell what they were.”

Cryptor looked at Emperor expectantly. “I believe I… I encountered the same visions.”

The General pursed his lips and said, “I will keep a droid posted until I return. The Commander would want to be updated on this event. Until these… visions, as you say, are gone for at least twenty-four hours, you two are to remain locked in here for not only your safety but for the safety of the droids. We don’t want you to have a fit near the soldiers and risk injury.” With that, he turned and left, locking the door behind him with a sickening click. Emperor felt a rush of exhaustion overtake him, the world faded to black as he collapsed onto the mattress once again, sleep consuming him and Empress. 

*

During the second day, the figure returned around midday, repeating the previous warnings of distrust and caution. Emperor refused to listen, covering his ears and repeating his mantra. “You don’t exist! You don’t exist! I am Emperor! I will not listen to you!” The figure pleaded for Emperor to listen, yet his words could not break through his covered ears. 

The third day, Emperor screamed at the figure; screaming at him to go away, screaming at him to stop telling him his lies, screaming at him that they are not the same. The figure seemed to shudder and fade, growing fainter as he repeated his final warning. 

With the fourth day, the figure was barely visible, hovering in the corner of Emperor’s eyes, constantly whispering _do not trust his words_ after every sentence Cryptor spoke. Emperor finally snapped and screamed, “Shut up! Just shut up!” Pausing after the figure faded once again, he shrunk back at the disapproving glares from Cryptor and the Overlord. “My apologies,” he murmured, hanging his head in shame. 

By the end of the sixth day, Emperor felt a breath of relief escape his lips when he realized he only heard the faint words of the figure; he could not see him, growing excited at the realization that he would soon be free of the side effects. Empress seemed to be on a similar track of recovery, her fits and feverish murmurs growing shorter and lighter as the days progressed. Cryptor asked the pair if they had suffered any fits that day, and Emperor proudly said that he had been free of the visions. Empress echoed his excitement, chirping at her realization that her voices had long-since vanished. 

On the seventh day, Emperor and Empress were freed from the medical bay, allowing them to explore the fortress and to finally see the hundreds, if not thousands of soldiers waiting for their leadership. Cryptor handed the pair several sheets of papers, explaining that it had the profiles of each of the Ninja and the Samurai as well as their upcoming mission to reclaim Ignacia. 

_Mission:_ Emperor and Empress shall lead a squadron of 150 droids to reclaim the village of Ignacia. Thirty droids shall act as guards for Emperor and Empress, the remaining 120 shall be spread out to maintain order across the village. Emperor and Empress shall find the leader and give the demands and force their surrender of the village. 

_Final Goal:_ Reclaim Ninjago City, Overtake the Royal Palace, Return the Overlord to the Throne, Capture Golden Ninja. 

_List of Demands:_  
Surrender of the People  
Metal, Scrap Parts, Wires  
Information on the Ninja (i.e. Location, Weaknesses, Hideouts)

**Kai Smith:**  
Master of Fire  
Attack: Offensive  
Weapon: Swords  
Weakness: Loyalty to Team, Sister Nya Smith, Emotional

**Jay Walker-Gordon:**  
Master of Lightning  
Attack: Defensive  
Weapon: Nunchucks  
Weakness: Easily Overpowered, Emotional

**Cole Brookstone:**  
Master of Earth  
Attack: Offensive  
Weapon: Scythe  
Weakness: Reliant on Brute Strength

**Nya Smith:**  
Samurai X  
Attack: Offensive  
Weapon: Swords  
Weakness: Failure, Brother Kai Smith, Protective over Team

**Lloyd Garmadon:**  
Master of Energy, Golden Ninja  
Attack: Defensive  
Weapon: Energy  
Weakness: Reliant on Powers, Easily Startled

Emperor and Empress felt confident, ready to aid the Overlord and Cryptor for whatever mission they were given; armed with a pair of swords and new uniforms to match the violet and black garbs the soldiers and Cryptor wore, the pair marched through the aisles of the soldiers to take their rightful place at the front, waiting at the door for the signal. 

The Overlord and Cryptor stood on either side of the bay doors. General Cryptor turned to Emperor and Empress and said, “You know your mission. Return to the fortress once it is complete for a Status Report. Do not fail us.”

With a final salute, Emperor and Empress led the thundering army towards the unsuspecting village fifteen miles away.


	3. Capturing Ignacia

Ignacia was fifteen miles away from the Overlord’s stronghold. Emperor and Empress left at dawn with the army marching behind; any traveler they encountered screamed and sprinted in the opposite direction, but Emperor and Empress did not change course. They remained emotionless, stoic, and true to their path towards the unsuspecting town. It took several hours for the army to arrive, but due to their endurance and power cores, they were unaffected by the long distance. About a mile outside of the small village, Empress noticed a small shop on top of a nearby hill, surrounded by rice fields; rumbling about four stories above, there was a red and gold flying ship, decorated with a dragon head on the bow. 

Empress felt a strange pain at the back of her mind, gripping at her black and silver hood. Something about that shop, that ship, it felt familiar… but something was blocking it from understanding. Emperor gripped her shoulder, his face also twisted into one of pain. 

“Should… should we… examine that shop?” Empress hissed, her head twitching. 

“That is not… of our concern,” Emperor grunted, leading her away. 

As the army stormed away, on the ship hovering above the blacksmith's shop, a trio of men kept exchanging a pair of binoculars, arguing about the crowd in the distance. 

“Maybe it’s a parade?” Jay said in a hopeful tone, though he knew it was not a good sign. 

“No way, they have swords and they’re wearing all black, that can’t be good,” Cole grumbled. 

“Cole, you wear all black.”

“But my black is vibrant and matched with bright colors. Those are just plain black and purple.”

“That makes no sense-“

“Guys, focus!” Lloyd snapped. He pressed a finger to his commlink tucked in his ear and called down to Kai and Nya in the shop below. “Kai, Nya, come in. We’ve got trouble at three o’clock, looks like an army heading towards the town.” 

Jay and Cole lowered the anchor, waiting for the confirmation that Kai and Nya were ready before returning it to the side of the Bounty. The pair scrambled on deck as Lloyd took to the helm, pushing the thruster lever forward as the Bounty roared to life. The group of Ninjas and Samurai gathered their weapons, pulling their masks down and putting their helmets on as the ship raced towards the nearby village. By the time the anchor had set near the outskirts of the town, the army had already spread around the town gathering the families that had been in their homes while the two leaders marched inside the mayor’s building with their silver katanas drawn. 

Inside, Emperor and Empress stormed past the secretary, ignoring her cries of protest, before kicking down the door to the mayor’s office. Mayor Johnson was a thin, frail-looking woman with wire-like curled hair and a pair of glasses hanging off of the bridge of her nose. Though her body looked frail and ready to break, her eyes were bright and full of anger. 

“Who are you?” she snapped. “What right do you have breaking down my door? Don’t you recognize mahogany when you see it?!”

Emperor and Empress marched forward; he slammed a scroll onto her desk as they distorted their voices, growling in unison, “We demand the village’s allegiance to the Lost King, we demand all scrap metal and wires, and we demand information about the Ninja.”

“I will show no fear to intruders,” Johnson replied, not even glancing at the paper on her desk. 

Emperor and Empress’s eyes flashed a furious crimson. Repeating once again in unison, “We demand the village’s allegiance to the Lost King, we demand all scrap metal and wires, and we demand information about the Ninja.”

“Never. Ignacia is a proud village, we will not bow to you or your leader.”

Emperor and Empress split apart, each marching around the sides of the desk, grabbing the mayor by her arms with an unbreakable grip. Johnson was dragged out of her chair, carrying the mayor outside to where the crowd was uneasily waiting. 

Empress held the blade against Johnson’s neck, once again shouting out in unison, “We demand the village’s allegiance to the Lost King, we demand all scrap metal and wires, and we demand information about the Ninja!”

A rush of hushed murmurs rippled through the crowd, several people glanced at the Bounty at the edge of town. 

Emperor shouted, “Our soldiers will remain in this village whether you agree or not! We can be peaceful, or we can be violent! Kneel for the Lost King, or suffer the consequences!”

Empress pressed the blade further into Johnson’s skin, a trickle of blood escaped as she gave a sharp hiss. “Last chance, mayor. We demand the village’s allegiance to the Lost King, we demand all scrap metal and wires, and we demand information about the Ninja.”

Johnson eyes flickered from villager to villager, watching her in fear and terror. She glared at Emperor as a sigh escaped her lips. “I will agree to two of your demands; we will surrender and we will give up our metal, but we will not tell you about the Ninja.” Johnson grinned, “I know the Ninja, they will stop you. You and your ‘Lost King’ shall never rule Ninjago.”

Emperor and Empress exchanged an unamused glance, giving a signal to the soldiers as they dragged the mayor back inside to sign the scroll pledging allegiance. The soldiers shoved and commanded the villagers to gather their spare metal while the thirty assigned guards surrounded the main building. Kai, Jay, Cole, Lloyd, and Nya looked at each other as they hid on a nearby rooftop, gripping their weapons tight. 

“Who was that?” Kai asked. 

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen them before,” Lloyd said. 

Nya paled, “You don’t think it could be Zane and Kali, right?”

“Oh, don’t make me say it,” Jay groaned. 

“Two new warriors working with that nindroid army a week after Zane and Kali go missing? Seems too suspicious to me.”

“What do we do?” 

“We’ll wait until they leave town, then we’ll ambush them, try to snap some sense back into them.” Nya turned to Jay, Cole, and Lloyd, “Which way did they enter town?”

Jay said, “From the South main road.”

“Kai, can you take the Bounty back to Four Weapons? Meet us by the grove about two miles down the road, we’ll be hiding in the trees.”

With a nod, the group split apart; Kai climbed back up the anchor’s chain as the rest of the team leaped from rooftop to rooftop, though every fiber of their body pleaded for them to help the sieged village, but they had to save their family first. Nya leaped into the first line of trees, hiding within the foliage; Jay took the one about two down from her; Lloyd was across the dirt road with Cole two trees beside him. About five minutes passed before Kai came sprinting by, hissing that the smaller group of soldiers were marching towards them.

The Ninja and Samurai waited with bated breath as the nindroids thundered towards them; the two leaders in front beamed with pride at their completed mission. Nya waited until the leaders had just passed by Kai before she launched her attack, leaping from the tree with her swords drawn. She struck down two nindroids in a single swipe of her blades, decapitating the droids before they could even sense her. Jay, Cole, Lloyd, and Kai flew out from the trees, striking down the surprised army. Nya caught a glimpse of the two leaders spinning on their heels, removing their twin silver katanas in a single move. 

“Golden Ninja located,” the man said, his voice still distorted. 

“Capture Golden Ninja,” the woman echoed before sprinting through the crowd of soldiers. 

Nya ducked underneath a swipe of a nindroid’s blade, pushing off of the ground as she charged towards the woman rushing towards Lloyd. She ground her teeth, shut her eyes, and rammed into the woman, sending her crashing into the tree. The woman’s head snapped back with a sickening crack, stunned as she sunk to the ground. 

“Empress!” the man screamed, locked in battle against Cole and Kai. 

Nya, with her blade still drawn, cautiously approached the woman. “Kali?” she asked. “Kali? Please, is that you?”

_“wHo… iS… KaLi?”_ the woman croaked, her voice snapping, popping, and crackling between the distortion and her true voice. 

“Kali, please, you’re our sister! You and Zane-!” Nya blinked and found a blade pressed at her throat, the woman’s blazing red eyes gleamed with excitement. She feared to swallow, sensing how close the blade was to her fragile skin. 

“The Gen-General was right! _You-You did try to change us!”_ the woman shrieked, her face twitching underneath the mask. “You want-wanted us as servants! You-You wanted to con-control us!”

“Kali, what are you talking about?!” Nya cried, stumbling backward. 

“I am not Ka-Kali!” she shouted, punching Nya to the ground. Her head twitched and sparked, her body contorted and jolted as she held the blade high above her head. 

A voice screamed out to the Samurai’s right, leaping in front of the descending blade; Jay caught the woman’s blade in the holes of his nunchuck’s chains, grunting and straining against her growing strength. Lloyd leaped onto her back, yanking and struggling against her mask. She screamed and flailed, yanking desperately to free her sword from Jay’s chains, crying out for Emperor’s aid. 

Empress stumbled backward into the tree, slamming Lloyd against the trunk over and over, kicking Jay in his stomach with a heavy grunt. He dropped his nunchucks, gripping his stomach as her sword was freed from the now loose chains. With one final slam against the tree, Lloyd released his grip and slumped against the trunk as a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth. She cracked her neck and turned to face the barely conscious Lloyd, sheathing her twin blades once more. She leaned down and picked up the weakly struggling Lloyd by the front of his gold and green uniform. _“Cap-Capture Golden N-Ninja.”_

Empress turned and grinned at her Emperor who had knocked Kai and Cole to the ground. She had taken a step towards him when a flash of red caught her eye. A quick _“I’m so sorry, Kali,”_ a gleam of metal, and Empress screamed. The Golden Ninja collapsed at her feet as she continued to shriek and wail, gripping her nearly severed hand as her pain receptors roared across her mind and body. 

Emperor raced towards her, fear blazed in his eyes as the Golden Ninja was scooped up by the Lightning one. Emperor fretted over his beloved as she leaned against the tree once again, hissing and sobbing as she held her limp hand to her chest. He snarled and spun around to wreak havoc on the Ninja and Samurai for harming his wife and destroying the soldiers that had been stationed to guard them, but they had retreated to their ship, taking the Golden Ninja with them. His gaze softened, removing his hood to wrap around her wrist and hand. Emperor pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead and murmured, “Come, Empress, we’ve got a long journey ahead of us.”


	4. Return to Cryptor

The hours dragged by as Emperor and Empress made their solo journey back to the fortress, constantly glancing over their shoulders in fear. Were the Ninja still following them? Would they be kidnapped and held for hostage, or would they attack and finish them off? Empress leaned into Emperor’s shoulder, still blinded from the wound that the Samurai inflicted. Any noise, any laughter, any roar of a car or a wagon caused the pair to hide in the shadows, silent until the noise had passed. The Sun had long since set by the time the pair made it back to the abandoned factory on the outskirts of Hiroshi’s Labyrinth. 

Empress longed to head straight for the medical bay, releasing a soft whine as she willingly walked past, but she knew that they had to give a report on their mission and the loss of their soldiers. Emperor paused outside of the door leading to the planning area where General Cryptor and Commander Overlord spent most of their time; he faced Empress and caressed her cheek, wiping away her tears. “This will be a quick meeting, then I shall fix your wrist,” he promised. “Just hold out a few minutes longer.”

Empress nodded, nuzzling into her husband’s hand, and took in a deep breath. “I’m ready.” The pair opened the double doors and entered the War Room, immediately falling under the unforgiving gaze of the Overlord and Cryptor. The General’s gaze locked onto Empress holding her wrist and hand to her chest. 

“Status Report,” the Overlord commanded. 

“And a condition’s report,” Cryptor added, quirking an eyebrow. 

Emperor said, “The mission was a success on two parts; we achieved control over Ignacia and will have the scrap transported here within the next few days. The mayor refused to part any information about the Ninja, but in the end it wasn’t necessary. The Ninja launched a surprise attack, taking out our thirty guards within seconds. The Golden Ninja was there, Empress tried to capture him but-“

“The Samurai did _this_ to me,” Empress spat, glaring at the ground. 

“We lost the Golden One. The Ninja and Samurai fled during the incident.”

The pair bowed their heads, saying in unison, “We are sorry for our failure.”

The Overlord remained silent, watching the pair with burning violet eyes. Cryptor waved the two off, telling them to head to the medical bay for repairs and a checkup. Empress all but ran through the halls as her husband trailed behind, slamming open the door as she fumbled to unwrap Emperor’s hood. 

As Emperor removed her charging cord from the desk drawer, Cryptor stepped inside the room with a dark look across his face. He waited as Empress was connected to the charger, falling into a numbed sleep mode for her repairs. Emperor turned and nodded his head towards his general, then grew concerned when his expression did not change. 

“I want you to go through a repairs check,” Cryptor said, stepping up to him. “I need to make sure that all of your systems are running smoothly.”

“I can assure you I am functioning perfectly well.”

“It is not my decision, but the Commander’s.” Cryptor reached up and brushed Emperor’s cheek, feeling a sense of satisfaction watching him lean into the touch, closing his eyes in bliss. A soft breathy sigh escaped his lips, desperate for any kind of comforting touch. “It shall be fine, Emperor. A few minutes, nothing more.” 

Emperor gave a silent nod, guided to the bed as he sat down beside his wife. His crimson eyes remained half-lidded, waiting for his General’s next command. 

Cryptor stood tall and said, “_Emperor:_ General Command- Sleep Mode.”

Emperor’s head fell forward, his eyes dulled and half-closed as his body remained stiff in it’s sitting position. Cryptor knelt down and opened his chest panel, then opened Empress’s panel, his eyes glancing at the boxes glowing and pulsing in time with their artificial heartbeats. 

“You shouldn’t have let the Golden One escape,” he grumbled, kneeling down in front of him. He reached up with a careful hand and twisted the small dial on their box from two to five out of nine. Emperor’s limp right hand clenched and shook just for a moment. His right eye twitched, but no sound escaped. A notification popped up within Cryptor’s mind: _[Emperor Free Will Reduced- Forty Percent Remaining]_. He scooted over to Empress and repeated the process, receiving a similar notification. Her teeth bared in a grimace for a quick second then returned to an emotionless position. Cryptor then stepped out of the room, returning a few moments later carrying a laptop; placing it on the bed, he connected a cord from one end and plugged it into the port on the back of Emperor’s neck, calling up the video memory of the siege on Ignacia and the attack from the Ninja. 

He watched for their failures, weaknesses and openings within their fighting, distractions or slower movements. Empress’s blind determination and singular focus was her downfall; though it was correct to capture the Golden One, she did not notice the Samurai ramming into her until it was too late. Her weakness is her emotions; the love for Emperor, the arrogance of striking down the Samurai, it’s what led to her hand nearly being chopped off. Emperor’s weaknesses were a little harder to discover, but Cryptor’s close inspection revealed similar revelations; the emotional connection to Empress was a distractor. When she was struck against the tree, Emperor opened himself up to attacks against the Fire and Earth Ninjas, thankfully they were too slow to realize the openings they had missed. Out of the corner of the video feed, Cryptor could see the Ninja retreating towards their flying ship, glancing back at the pair before disappearing into the distance; he gave a deep huff and closed the video feed, running a diagnostic check on Emperor’s system. 

[CODENAME EMPEROR- DIAGNOSTICS CHECK: LOADING… LOADING... LOADING…]  


[MOTOR FUNCTION: ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT]  


[MEMORY CORE: STATUS UNKNOWN]  


[HARD-DRIVE STATUS: STABLE CONDITION]  


[POWER CORE STATUS: ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT]  


[SEARCHING FOR SYSTEM FAILURES…]  


[SYSTEM STATUS: STABLE]

Cryptor unplugged the cord from Emperor’s port, deciding to keep him in sleep mode until after the diagnostics check was completed. He’d rather not have her worried lover looming over his shoulder during the scan, though he could be of help during the welding and fixing of her wrist. He plugged the cord into a port within Empress’s left wrist, watching the screen light up with curiosity. 

[CODENAME EMPRESS- DIAGNOSTICS CHECK: LOADING… LOADING... LOADING…]  


[MOTOR FUNCTION: EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT]  


[MEMORY CORE: STATUS UNKNOWN]  


[HARD-DRIVE STATUS: STABLE CONDITION]  


[POWER CORE STATUS: ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT]  


[SEARCHING FOR SYSTEM FAILURES…]  


[DAMAGE TO NECK TO BASE OF SKULL: TWELVE PERCENT]  


[DAMAGE TO RIGHT WRIST: EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT, SEEK IMMEDIATE ATTENTION]  


[SYSTEM STATUS: STABLE]

Cryptor disconnected the cord and closed the laptop with a sigh, it was time to awaken the husband and to deal with his nerves and anxious pacing. He leaned up and whispered, “Emperor: General Command- Awaken." He stepped back as Emperor’s eyes glowed to life once again, blinking several times as his mind unclouded from the surprise sleep-mode. 

“General…?” Emperor slurred, stretching his back. “Have the… diagnostics… been completed?”

“Yes, Emperor, your systems are in working order. I will require your assistance in repairing Empress; she has damage not only in her wrist but she has slight damage to her neck and spine. You need to fix her wrist while I make sure there is no damage to her hard-drive.”

Cryptor gathered his supplies, sitting behind Empress while Emperor brought over the toolbox and soldering iron, sitting on her right side. Cryptor removed a switchblade from his belt and flipped open the blade, carefully dragging the blade from the base of her hairline to the bottom of her neck; he opened her metallic skin, revealing her endoskeleton and the cord still plugged in. He glanced at Emperor and told him to pause with his tinkering. “I am switching the plug to connect to the laptop so I know which vertebrae are damaged. She may wake up momentarily, be ready to hold her down if she reacts.”

Emperor nodded and held down her shoulders, keeping a careful, worried gaze on her face. 

“Three, two, one-“ The cord popped out with a buzz; her body jolted and contorted from the sudden loss of power, frantic whines escaped through her clenched teeth. Emperor wrapped one arm around her upper body while his other hand was caressing her cheek, murmuring calming words to her, “One, two, three-“ She jolted again, falling limp against her husband’s shoulder; he pressed a kiss to the top of her head and returned to work on her arm. Cryptor got to work on the damaged vertebrae, humming and grumbling in concentration, but the damage was not too bad. After about twenty minutes of tinkering, he closed the metal plates to her neck with a satisfied _click._ Emperor was almost done with his repairs. Cryptor decided that he was more than capable in finishing the job without supervision. 

As he turned to leave, Emperor called out, “General, before you go, I have a question.”

With a nearly silent sigh, he turned and crossed his arm over his chest, gesturing for him to continue. 

Emperor glanced down, silent for a moment; his eyes revealed his fear though his voice remained straightforward. “With our failure… are we to receive punishment?”

Cryptor’s eyes flickered to the nearly hidden panel on Emperor’s chest. “As of this moment, the Overlord has forgiven you two this one time. If you fail again, your punishment shall be harsher than you can conceive. Continue to reclaim villages, capture the Golden Ninja, and you shall remain in the Commander’s saving grace.” With that, Emperor was left in the medical bay, haunted by Cryptor’s warning.


	5. Flee into the City

The group of Ninjas and Samurai collapsed onto the deck of the Destiny’s Bounty, gasping and panting for air as their muscles burned from the impromptu battle. Lloyd had fallen unconscious the second he was safe on board; Nya was still shaken to the core, the image of Kali looming above her, the sword gleaming in the light as it plunged towards her heart haunted her mind. Jay and Kai crawled over to her, holding her between them as Cole checked on Lloyd. 

“What’s happened to them?” Kai murmured. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“What did Cryptor do to them?” Jay asked. “They don’t remember themselves. What did they call each other?”

Cole spoke up, “Emperor is Zane, Empress is Kali. The only thing they seemed to care about more than capturing Lloyd was each other. You saw how panicked he was when Kali was hit.”

“She was going to kill me,” Nya murmured, hiding her pale face in Kai’s shoulder. “Did you see the look in her eyes? There was no kindness, no sympathy, just pure hatred.”

Kai wrapped his arms around her, glancing at Jay, hoping that he could find anything to say to the disheartened and frazzled group. 

Jay’s eyes searched and flickered across the deck, furrowing his eyebrows in concentration. “Cryptor did something to them, some kind of code that is messing with their heads. We need to track them down, we need to get that code out of them.”

“But we don’t know where they are, and I’m pretty sure Cryptor and the Overlord don’t want to lose them,” Kai said. 

“I could try to build a tracker, something that locks onto Zane’s beacon; if I can do that, then we could see their movements and find a gap in their plan.”

Nya wiped at her eyes, a gleam of determination in her eyes. “I want to help. Two heads are better than one, right?”

Kai shook his head, “How are you going to even lock onto Zane’s beacon? I’m pretty sure his blueprints doesn’t say what it is.”

“Next time we fight them, we can make a sensor- Kai, if you could hold Kali back while Cole restrains Zane, we could get a lock on his signal!”

“As long as I don’t get my face frozen, I’m in,” Cole replied, scooping up Lloyd in his arms. 

“I am too. Whatever you need help with, sis, I’ll do it.”

Nya grinned, “Then let’s get our friends back!”

***

Two weeks passed as Emperor and Empress quietly reclaimed the smaller villages across Ninjago. Jamanakai, Stiix, Birchwood Village, all captured without incident. By the time the Ninja arrived on the Bounty, the pair watched with pride as they hid in the shadows, keeping away from their searching gaze. The Overlord would praise them for their victories but would remind them that the larger goal is to capture the Golden One before the siege on Ninjago City. 

Emperor and Empress would train throughout the day, practicing against not only one another but against nindroids that had not come out perfectly during construction. Jolty, trembling motions were no match against the sleek and oiled fighting from the Emperor and Empress. Any nindroid that challenged them was cut down within seconds, their parts recycled and reused for the next series being created. Cryptor, when he was not locked in the War Room with the Overlord, would watch in silence, noting when the pair would become distracted by one another or openings in their attacks. 

“Empress, stop glancing at Emperor. He can defend himself… Emperor, you had an opening at five minutes and thirty-two seconds; the Ninja could’ve struck and knocked you down… Pay attention to your surroundings… Empress, you had an opening at thirteen minutes and four seconds; the Ninja could strike at your back and take you out…”

Emperor and Empress would nod and take into account Cryptor’s criticism, thinking about their openings in their stances, trying to not glance at one another so much during the practice battles. After nearly an hour of training, Cryptor would call out that the practice had been completed and he was satisfied with their progress. With shaky limbs and heavy pants, the pair bowed and thanked their General for his criticisms. 

Cryptor walked up to the pair and caressed Emperor’s cheek; Emperor hummed and leaned into his touch, closing his eyes in bliss. He reached a hand up to maintain the physical affection but gave a nearly silent whine at the loss of touch when Cryptor turned to Empress. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, smirking at the trembles that overtook her body, turning her head to nestle against his touch. A broken cry was caught in her throat when he stepped back, Emperor and Empress stood tall once more and returned to a neutral expression. 

“In a few days, your next target is the village of Terra, about two miles outside of Ninjago City. With a population of about one hundred and fifty, you shall take back the city with three hundred soldiers. Your mission after the reclaiming is to take shelter within Ninjago City and to wait for our arrival within the next day. I fear that the Ninja will try to stop you. If the Ninja attack, do not engage; we cannot afford to lose you two to them. Do whatever you need to do to escape within the city.”

Emperor and Empress bowed, saying in unison that they understood their mission. The pair were dismissed as Cryptor left the room, heading back to his bedroom for a well-earned rest. But, yet, someone called out to him. 

“General!”

It was Emperor. What did he want? 

Emperor ran to a halt only about two feet away from Cryptor, a little too close in his opinion. He grinned as his breath came out in puffs, still exhausted from his extensive training. “General, I… I wanted to thank you; well, Empress and I wanted to thank you but her wrist was still hurting her. I’ll need to run a check to make sure nothing is irritating her, but last time I did a check nothing came up, so I’m not quite sure what the irritation could be-“

“Emperor!” Cryptor snapped. 

Emperor gave a small jump, his face blushing a light pink. “My apologies. I wanted to say thank you for protecting us from the Ninja, for keeping us from being turned into servants. As you told me, ‘we are built the same.’ So that means we are family, right General?”

Cryptor was stunned. _Family?_ He knew what it was, but would he really call the two former ninja family? He felt his mind short-circuit; if he said no, that could damage his chain of command, leading to distrust between the pair and him. If he said yes, that could lead Emperor and Empress trying to _‘get to know him better,’_ which he would rather die than happen. But at the same time, if he said yes, that could lead to a stronger bond between them, allowing more trust in his leadership. Cryptor looked back at the eagerly waiting nindroid and quietly murmured, “I… I guess?”

A bright grin grew across Emperor’s pale face, his crimson eyes glistening with excitement; he leapt forward and wrapped Cryptor in both of his arms, squeezing him tight. A notification popped up in his mind: [IDENTIFICATION: HUG]. _A hug?_ His body stiffened involuntarily, his arms frozen in surprise. He felt… comforted. Safe. _Happy?_ Cryptor felt as if a hundred error messages were popping up in his mind, losing himself in the sudden confusion. He felt Emperor give one final squeeze and took a step back, his face further hidden under a deep pink blush. 

“My apologies once again, General. I… I don’t know what overtook me,” he said, sheepishly. 

Cryptor blinked as his mind focused once more. He cleared his throat, “It is fine, Emperor. Just… do not do so again with me. Now, return to Empress and prepare for the next mission.” As Emperor retreated down the hall, he turned and stepped inside his room, locking the door behind him. _Family?_ That was not possible. He had no family. He was built alone, even though he was loosely based on Zane’s- _Emperor’s_blueprints. He shook his head. It’s just to gain more trust from Emperor and Empress; if it backfires he could always erase the memory and act as if nothing happened. But, yet, he himself could never forget how much he enjoyed it. 

Emperor and Empress marched with their army the next morning, due to the long distance away from Terra, about fifty miles away. Though the village was the last one before Ninjago City, both in proximity and in their paths to reclaim, the pair were ready for battle in case of a revolution. Emperor found a small rushed soldiering malfunction within Empress’s wrist, after smoothing it out, she no longer had any discomfort and was ready to fight. The pair marched into the autumn city, relishing in the sounds of terrified screaming and the doors slamming behind the frightened villagers. The army spread around the town, ready to gather the people if the leaders gave the signal. 

Emperor and Empress stormed into the town hall and kicked open the door to the mayor’s office, startling the lanky middle-aged man inside. “I… I know y-you!” Mayor Turmine cried, shaking in his chair. “Y-You’re the leaders of the army! I w-will not b-bow to you!”

The pair growled, “We demand the village’s allegiance to the Lost King, we demand all scrap metal and wires, and we demand information about the Ninja.”

Turmine trembled in his seat, “N-Never!”

Empress slammed the scroll onto the desk, causing the frightened man to jump and skitter back. They repeated their demands, snarling underneath their black masks and hoods, but once again he refused, though his voice was much weaker. Emperor stood straight and, within the blink of an eye, the Mayor had a silver katana hovering barely a centimeter above his carotid artery. 

Empress, in a dark voice, said, “One last chance before you bleed out on the floor and your village is taken by force. We demand the village’s allegiance to the Lost King, we demand all scrap metal and wires, and we demand information about the Ninja.”

Turmine glanced outside of the window, seeing the hundreds of soldiers lining the streets, a sense of hopelessness flooded his body. Reluctantly, he relented and signed the scroll. Empress and Emperor beamed, snatching the scroll away after the mayor signed it with a shaky hand. The pair turned and left the office, already discussing their plan to hide within the city, when something caught Emperor’s eyes. 

“They’re here,” he hissed, grabbing her hand. “We must go.”

Emperor and Empress turned and sprinted through the streets, seeing flashes of color in their peripheral visions, leaping from rooftop to rooftop or ducking into alleyways. Empress knew that Terra lay about two miles outside of the Ninjago City limit with little to no shelter in between, only sparse trees every so often. Once they left the safety of the village, they would be vulnerable to the Ninja’s tricks and attacks. 

Their footsteps pounded against the dirt path, their breaths heavy against the fabric of their masks; the Ninja were closing in, they could feel their gazes watching them from all around. Emperor and Empress scanned the area around them, rushing past a small bunch of trees until two large figures charged into their paths. Emperor was tackled to the ground by the Earth Ninja, his arms restrained above his head within a rock the Ninja had created. Empress was tangled in a rope held by the Fire Ninja, forced to her knees as he tied her hands together. 

The Lightning Ninja and the Samurai caught up to their teammates, breathing heavily from the chase, but their eyes remained locked on the frantically struggling Emperor beneath the Earth Ninja sitting on his stomach. The Samurai and Lightning Ninja knelt by his head as the ninja removed a device about the size of his hand from his pocket. Empress screamed and cursed each one, threatening to tear them apart limb by limb if they hurt her beloved husband. Emperor thrashed and screamed out, calling for his wife and his general. 

Lightning yanked open Emperor’s black and purple uniform, revealing the panel on his chest. He turned to him and said, “I’m so sorry, Zane, but we need to do this.”

“Leave him alone!” Empress shrieked, tears forming in her eyes. “Don’t touch him!”

“We’re not going to hurt you, Zane,” the Samurai said, nearly deafened by Emperor and Empress’s screams. “We’re your family, we’re trying to save you!”

Lightning opened his panel, only to pale and scramble back a foot or so. “What in the name of Ninjago is that?!” he cried, staring at the strange pulsing box within his chest. 

Empress’s thrashing grew uncontrollable, Fire’s grip on her started to wane. “What did you do to him?! _What did you monsters put in him?!”_

The Samurai turned to her, her eyes wide with terror. “Ka-Empress, we didn’t do this. We don’t know what this is!”

“Emperor, we’re your true family,” Earth said, grunting occasionally from the flailing legs behind him. “We know you better than Cryptor and the Overlord ever could.”

“Lies! All you speak are lies!” Emperor screamed. 

“We know you loved to cook, you love the color pink, you have a pet falcon-”

“No! Stop talking!”

“Empress, you love to draw. You love to organize, and you love to bake things on the Bounty,” the Samurai said as the Lightning Ninja held the device up to Emperor’s heart. 

“Shut up! Shut up!” she screeched. Her heart burned scorching her from the inside-out, Empress wailed and screamed as her voice echoed for miles. 

“Emperor, did Cryptor tell you that you’re a Master of Ice?” Earth asked, his voice soft yet firm. 

Emperor’s thrashing slowed, a look of fear crossed his face. “No… No! Lies! LIES!! _THE GENERAL WOULD NEVER LIE TO US!!”_ He started to sob, his tears started to freeze against the side of his face. “LIARS! MONSTERS!! YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO US!!”

The Samurai held down the Emperor’s shoulders as the earth around his hands started to freeze and crack, hissing as fog started to leak through the soil. 

“You’re the master of ice! You are an elemental master, just like us!” Lightning cried as his device gave a chirp. “You and Ka-Empress are our family! You have to believe us!”

Emperor’s sobbing grew uncontrollable, wailing and screaming for Empress. Empress’s head twitched as a look of fury crossed her face; she forced her arms downward, breaking out of Fire’s grasp as her twin blades erupted from her forearms, slicing open the ropes restraining her. With a quick flip, the blades returned to her arms with a click. Emperor’s heart started to glow a neon blue, humming and pounding loudly as it mixed with his screams. Empress leaped to her feet and struck Fire against his face, feeling a sense of satisfaction as her fist connected with his left cheek, sending him stumbling back a few feet. 

Empress turned and started to sprint towards her beloved husband, but screeched to a halt when she saw the strange color emanating from him. Emperor arched his back, his eyes wide with fear; the rock holding down his hands exploded, knocking Earth off of his stomach. A blast of ice shot out from Emperor’s heart and hands, spreading several feet away from him in waves of spikes; the ice covered Earth’s lower half, as well as the Samurai and Lightning’s knees, legs, and lower abdomens. 

Emperor panted, his eyes half-lidded as his body went limp, exhausted by the sudden and terrifying burst of power. Empress could feel a small part of her warning not to touch him, that she could be frozen, that he could hurt her, but she shoved those feelings aside. She rushed forward and scooped up her taller husband in her arms, feeling frost covering her arms and chest, but she did not care. Empress would rather die than leave her husband in the hands of those monsters. She could hear the Ninja and Samurai screaming at them to stop, to come back, but she shut them out. They spoke only lies, they only wanted to manipulate them, but she would lay her life down to keep her husband away from their hands. 

Emperor weakly looked up at her as his head lay tucked against her chest. With a shaky hand, he closed the panel on his chest, then placed his hand on her chest, trembling in her grip. _“E-Emp-press-ss,”_ he stuttered, his teeth clicking together. 

“We’re almost there, we’re almost to the city,” she said, keeping her gaze locked on the towering skyscrapers looming in front of them. Empress refused to look backward, she didn’t want to know if the Ninja had broken free from the ice and were chasing after them once again. She just had to get into the city and duck into the nearest shadowy area or abandoned building, she had to get Emperor to safety. 

Her eyes flickered at the cars driving around in the twilight city, hiding in the shadows to avoid the watching eyes of the cameras and the judging glances of civilians. A police siren shot through the streets; Empress jolted and ducked into a nearby alleyway, pressing her back against the stone exterior as the police car rushed by. Her breath came out in shaky puffs, sliding her back down the wall until she sat on the ground with her husband still curled up in her arms. 

Emperor reached his trembling hand up and brushed away the loose strands of black hair that had escaped from underneath her hood, his tired eyes stared at the frost that now dusted her cheeks from his hands. _“M-My love,”_ he murmured. _“I-I’m… I’m dan-dangerous… I c-could hurt-“_

Her head snapped downward, yet there was no malice in her eyes, only concern and love. “My dear Emperor, I know you would never hurt me.”

_“B-But the ice-!”_

Empress glanced at the small spikes of ice that connected the pair; she did not know and could not tell if it was growing worse or melting. She leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss against his freezing lips, feeling her lips stick for a moment against his, but it made her giggle. “If we freeze together, then so be it. I would rather be with you, frozen in eternity, than alone and unfrozen.”

He gave a weak chuckle, _“S-So rom-mantic.”_

Empress waited until the stars shone high above them and the streets were silent before leaving the alleyway. The ice had melted as Emperor regained enough strength to walk, even though he had to lean heavily against her shoulder. Before they left, they stripped out of their black and purple uniforms and revealed their civilian clothes hidden underneath. Each wore thin black hoodies with cash, a communication device, and her charging cord hidden in the pockets, with black leggings underneath.

Emperor and Empress wandered through the streets, through endless blocks and hiding in the shadows until they found their desired hotel. A small hotel with only three floors, nestled between two towering buildings, Empress helped her beloved inside as the receptionist gave them a curious look. 

“Good evening and welcome to the Diamond Inn. Do you have a reservation?”

Empress nodded, “Yes, it should be under, uh, Thompson?”

The receptionist nodded and typed on her keyboard, giving a satisfied hum. “Ah, yes, here it is! Mr. and Mrs. Thompson; a one night stay, correct?”

She nodded and handed her the correct amount of cash, turning down a receipt before grabbing the keys. Empress helped Emperor through the carpeted halls, glancing at the numbers on each of the doors until she found their room number. With a click, the door opened and the pair weakly shuffled inside; Emperor collapsed onto the bed as Empress plugged in her cord, but she did not charge herself just yet. She needed to make sure her husband was safe and that their position was known to the General. 

Empress pulled out her comm device and connected to Cryptor’s signal. “General, we are in the city at the Diamond Hotel. We had an… unfortunate run-in with the Ninja and Samurai but we managed to escape. Over.”

“Empress, what occurred during the run-in? Over.” Cryptor asked. 

She glanced over at her Emperor as he lightly dozed beside her. She frowned and said, “They tried to ambush us outside of the city, but we managed to escape. Over.”

“Very well, we shall be there at dawn. Be prepared to march to the Palace, over.”

“Understood. Over.”

Empress turned off the comm device and placed it on the nightstand beside the bed, then turned and curled up beside Emperor. He rolled over and wrapped his arms around her back and waist, nuzzling against her hair. She gave a happy hum and tucked herself against his chest, feeling his heartbeat pound calmly against her cheek. He started to run his hand through her hair, twisting several strands between his fingers; Empress was in blissful heaven. 

“I love you, Empress,” he murmured moments before he fell into a peaceful slumber, the first time in weeks. 

Empress glanced up at his slumbering face, caressing his face. She loved his man with every fiber of her being; the way his eyes sparkled when he laughed, his protective nature yet the softness that was beneath the surface, the murmurs of affection he whispered in her ears during their nights together- her face warmed at the memories. Those nights, though rare, were blissful and passionate, yet soft and gentle. Even nights were they just lay curled up in each other’s arms, tucked against one another like pieces of a puzzle, she wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

Empress turned and picked up her cord, hovering it above her port in her neck. “Goodnight, my Emperor. I love you too.” She plugged in the cord and fell into a heavenly slumber.


	6. Palace of Secrets

Kai’s head spun from the sudden punch, stumbling back with a heavy grunt as he landed on his backside. His eyes felt crossed, watching as Kali ran towards Zane moments after a wave of ice erupted from his body, freezing his family’s lower halves. He struggled to his feet as Kali picked up Zane and sprinted towards the distant Ninjago City; he wanted to chase after them, he couldn’t bear to lose them once again, but he knew he had to rescue his family first. 

Kai quickly got to work, his fire engulfing his hands as he started to melt the surprisingly thick ice. Through chattering teeth, Nya asked Jay if he managed to get Zane’s beacon before the ice froze them. 

He nodded and with a trembling hand, holding up the sensor; a small hand-held box with a screen in the center, a small antenna stuck a few inches out from the top, a single dial and two buttons, one red and one blue, lay around the screen. The blue screen had a fluctuating white line like a heartbeat, able to switch to a map with Zane’s current location. Jay said that it would update every five seconds. 

By the time Kai managed to unthaw everyone, the sun had set behind the horizon and he was ready to pass out from exhaustion. Cole sent a call to Lloyd, who was still on the Bounty, to come pick them up. 

“Did it work?” Lloyd asked over the commlink. 

“We got Zane’s signal, but they escaped again,” Cole replied. “One thing we know is that he still has his elemental powers.”

Lloyd cried, “Did he hurt you?!”

“It was more from fear and panic, I don’t know if he truly meant to hurt us,” Nya said. 

“We can discuss this more on the Bounty. Lloyd, what’s your ETA?” Kai asked as he and Nya leaned on one another. 

“I can see you guys! Landing in just a moment!” The roar of the Bounty grew louder as the magnificent ship descended from the skies above, landing with a heavy thud within the plains. Lloyd ran across the deck and lowered the ramp, waiting anxiously for his family to ascend the wooden ramp to learn about their mission. Kai asked if he could assist in getting everyone to the dining room while he made hot tea. Lloyd nodded and took Kai’s place under Nya’s arm, wrapping his arms around her shoulder as the group shuffled up the stairwells, he diverged from the group and made his way first to the bridge to set the ship onto autopilot. 

As Kai stepped into the bridge, his eyes wandered over to the family portrait hanging on the Southern wall, underneath the circular window. An oil pastel painting made only a year or so ago during a time of peace after the Overlord’s first defeat; the Ninjas had gathered in the Bounty’s kitchen to make a parade of pastries and desserts not only in celebration of their victory but to celebrate Lloyd’s birthday. Zane tried to keep the group out of the kitchen, knowing without a doubt that chaos would’ve reigned and nothing would’ve been made right, but he could not keep out five rowdy teens. Kali had just stepped out of the room for a moment to fetch an apron and to tie her hair up in a ponytail, only to return to Zane panicking and the group covered in flour, sugar, sprinkles, and rainbow frosting. She stood there for a moment, her eyes flashed white before a smile grew on her face. Kali stepped into the kitchen, secretly dipping her finger into a bowl of light blue frosting, and wiped a dollop on Zane’s nose. The group cheered and eventually calmed down after the excitement shifted into actually baking the pastries; Lloyd said that he had never had a better birthday than that singular day. 

Kai smiled just for a moment, just enough to think that everything was okay before reality struck him once again. Everything was not okay. Zane and Kali were gone, whether both mentally and physically, and they had to get them back before they did things that they would regret. So far, it could be considered lucky that none of the villages had an execution or a riot, nothing bloody or violent just yet, but he knew that time could run out. The last city to be sieged was the capital which the Destiny’s Bounty was hovering around, though he wondered if they could truly stop the Overlord at this point. The Dark Lord had already conquered almost all of Ninjago, he had an army of nindroids on his side that seemed to grow more powerful by the day, and he had Zane and Kali trapped in his grasp.

Kai knew Lloyd was getting antsy remaining behind on the ship, but he couldn’t bear losing another family member. He had to find a way to keep Lloyd out of the Overlord’s hands, if he got to the golden power- Kai shook his head, he couldn’t let that happen. He walked up to the controls and set the autopilot’s course, keeping the Bounty about two miles outside of the city limits for Ninjago City. Satisfied, he made his way back down to the dining room where the others were quietly talking or sipping at the tea Lloyd had made. Kai sat down beside Nya and rested his head on the table, feeling the rumble of the table as Jay passed him a cup; he murmured thanks and raised his head to take a sip. 

“What’s the plan now?” Nya asked. “We got Zane’s beacon, we know their location, should we try to rescue them now?”

“I don’t think we’re up to fighting them again,” Cole said, resting his head in his hands. “They’re probably expecting us to chase after them, and if Zane’s powers are still on the fritz- we might be completely frozen next time.”

“But every moment we wait, the Overlord grows stronger!” Kai snapped. 

“Kai, look at us. We’re fucking exhausted, Lloyd can’t go near them without the chance of being captured, and we don’t know if we’d be walking into a trap.”

Kai couldn’t even argue, he felt his eyes drooping as his head bobbed up and down. Maybe they had a point. 

“Tomorrow, once we’re rested, we’ll track down Zane and Kali and bring them home. For now, I think it’s time to head to bed,” Cole murmured, his voice slurring. The group nodded and shuffled off to bed, Kai blacked out the second his head hit the pillow. 

Flash images filled Emperor’s head. Blurs of reds, blues, blacks, greens, and whites. Laughter, joyful laughter, warmed his heart. The roar of engines. Sunset skies. A myriad of stars. A forest of snow. A family, but he could not see their faces. Emperor rolled restlessly in his slumber, gripping the blanket beneath his hands. Voices whispered in his mind, soft and kind, loving and warm. Words of comfort, words of love, words of affection; Emperor could feel a sob escape his lips. He longed for the warmth of embraces, the heat from fire, the crackle of lightning, the strength and security of earth, the golden laughter- the images changed. 

A wedding. He stood at the end of the aisle, dressed in a black and white suit. Two best men stood to his right; one with an orange tie, one with a blue tie. An organ began to play. The faceless crowd stood. A best man with a red tie and a maid of honor in a blue and black suit meandered towards him. Their faces were hazy. Emperor’s eyes drifted past them, locking onto the bride at the entrance to the cathedral. A white and snow blue gown, white skin with light blue markings, but he could not see her face. Emperor grew desperate as error codes started blaring in his mind. 

[REDACTED INFORMATION]  
[UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS]  
[ACCESS DENIED]  
[MEMORY FILES LOCKED]  


_No, please!_ Emperor screamed, breaking free from his spot by the altar. The world around him slowed, reaching desperately for his bride. He needed to see her face, he needed to know what was happening, he needed to know. His fingers were inches away from the veil covering her face-

[ACCESS DENIED]  
[ACCESS DENIED]  
[ACCESS DENIED]  
[COMMAND OVERRIDE: AWAKEN]  


Emperor jolted awake, feeling his body grow completely numb; a new notification overtook his sight. 

[COMMAND OVERRIDE: MARIONETTE PROTOCOL]

_Marionette?_ Emperor wondered. _What did-_ His body shot up, jolting out of bed; he suddenly stood at the base of the bed, unable to move any part of his form. Empress awoke with a start, her eyes were wide with fear as she yanked the cord out of her neck, flinching from the sudden removal. Empress leaped to her feet, standing stiff and tall, yet her gaze locked onto his as tears brimmed and threatened to spill.

“Emperor?!” she cried through gritted teeth. “What’s… happening?!”

“I don’t know!” he hissed, feeling an uncontrollable sense of panic flowing through his veins. He couldn’t control his body, nothing responded to his commands, he was trapped in his mind. Their bodies walked over to the pile of clothes sitting and stripped off their civilian attire, returning to their uniforms. “I… I can’t…!” 

_“The Commander is waiting for us,”_ Emperor and Empress abruptly chanted; their voices sounded so foreign as if it wasn’t even them talking. Involuntarily, their bodies marched out of the room, through the lobby, and into the center of the streets still darkened before Dawn. Loud roars boomed through the city as the pair stood in the center of the road, watching as hundreds- if not thousands- of crimson red eyes manifested from the darkness, led by a single pair of violet eyes. 

The Overlord, Cryptor, and the army stormed towards them, armed and ready for the inevitable battle waiting for them at the palace in the center of the city. Cryptor reached up and grabbed Empress’s chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

“I know you kept the truth from me,” he hissed, relishing in the loss of control in her body. “I know the Ninja ambushed you, I know they restrained you, and I know they did something to Emperor. You two are so lucky the Commander is in a good mood this morning, otherwise you would be scrapped faster than you can blink.”

Emperor trembled as the Overlord marched past, their commander glanced over his shoulder and subtly motioned the pair forward using his pointer and middle fingers; their bodies walked forward and followed behind their leaders. Emperor looked around at the sleeping skyscrapers, watching as lights flickered on in miscellaneous rooms and silhouettes moved about behind curtains and shades. Down through the streets, the army marched, thunderous stomps and mechanical groans woke the light sleepers of the town as the Palace of Ninjago manifested through the early morning mist. 

_This was it,_ Emperor thought, feeling his arms reach forward to accept the silver swords from Cryptor. Empress followed suit, keeping her terrified gaze locked between the Palace looming in front of them and to Emperor, desperate to reach for her beloved husband. 

Cryptor growled, “Emperor, Empress; your job is to get the Overlord and me to the throne room. Focus only on the task at hand, our soldiers shall do the rest.”

Were they truly ready for this? For the Overlord to reclaim his throne? To take on actual revolters bent on stopping them? To risk death for this cause? Emperor looked at their leaders as they marched towards the Palace gates; they had taken them in, rescued them from the monstrous Ninja, risked life and limb to train them and keep them safe. This was the least they could do to repay their debts. 

Cryptor kicked open the gates, alerting the drowsy guards posted along the courtyard; the guards scrambled for their spears as the nindroid army stormed inside. Their soldiers tackled, restrained, and de-armed the palace guards as the Overlord and Cryptor marched inside with their heads held high. Emperor and Empress flanked their Commander and General, ready to disarm and subdue anyone who dared to attack them. At the base of the stairs, the doors leading inside the ruby palace slammed open as a flood of guards poured outward, a man dressed in green called out orders. 

“Stop the intruders! Protect the Royal Family!”

Emperor felt his body lunge forward, swords gleaming in the lantern-light, as his face contorted into an excited sneer. He slashed upwards, feeling the blade bite into a guard’s chest, blood splattered across Emperor’s uniform as the guard collapsed, still alive but wailing in pain. He slammed his elbow into the helmet of another soldier, knocking him to his knees. Emperor and Empress tore through the stream of guards, slashing at their exposed body parts, striking at their heads, but feeling the smallest bit of control and restraint to make sure that they did not kill anyone. The Overlord and Cryptor calmly strode up the steps and into the Palace royal hall, finding the man in green standing by the pair of thrones. 

“Do your worst, intruder,” the man spat, slamming the base of his spear on the ground with a thunderous crack. 

“Cryptor, restrain this traitor,” the Overlord hissed. “Emperor, Empress; search the Palace, find anyone who may be still here.”

As Cryptor charged forward, his swords screaming for blood, Emperor and Empress felt a little control return to their bodies, stumbling ever so slightly as they charged down the nearby hallways. Emperor kicked open the locked doors, scanning the empty rooms for any life, anything out of the ordinary, as Empress snuck into the unlocked rooms. One by one they made their way through the rectangular palace, finding not even maids or servants in any of the rooms until Empress stumbled into one of the bedrooms. 

A child, around eight years old, slept in her bed, unaware of the two figures in the hallway or the army outside. Her bleached white hair haloed around her pillow, her breathing soft and steady. Empress was frozen where she stood. 

_They could not hurt a child,_ Emperor thought. He knew they would rather face the harshest punishment than harm a sleeping child, even one of royal blood. He leaned past Empress and closed the door with a nearly silent click, making sure that the door was locked once again. He faced Empress and held a finger to his lips, removing his mask just for a few seconds. He mouthed, _Tell no one. We will get her out when the time comes._

Empress nodded and carved a hidden X on the side of the doorframe, making note of which room the child was sleeping in. The pair continued their search through the numerous rooms, unable to find anyone other than the child. They returned to the throne room where the Overlord was waiting, sitting on the throne with a smug grin on his face. 

“Did you find anyone?” the Overlord asked. 

"No, the Palace was empty," Empress replied as they knelt at the base of the throne, their heads hung low in respect and fear. 

The Overlord leaned down and placed the tips of his fingers underneath their jaws, tipping their heads upward. “You better be telling the truth, my dear Emperor and Empress, otherwise you will see how truly unforgiving I can be.” His voice was deep and low, yet revealing to the sides of their Commander that had yet to be seen. Emperor trembled and nodded his head the best he could, feeling the sharp tips of the Overlord’s fingers press into the synthetic flesh of his neck. 

“Good. I have a mission for you two; the King and Queen have escaped. I want you two to hunt them down and either return them here or to strike them down where they stand. Stay out of sight of the Ninja, do not let them near you. They should still be in the city; do not fail me.” 

The Overlord sat up as Emperor and Empress scrambled to their feet, bowing one final time before disappearing down the hallway to find the child. Their footsteps were silent, scared to round the corner and find Cryptor or their soldiers waiting for them. They had to get the child out before she could be harmed. Emperor unlocked the door and crept inside, she was still silently sleeping, murmuring something in her dreamlike state. Empress found a spare piece of paper, scribbled something on it as he wrapped the child in her comforter, keeping her tucked against his chest. With a unified nod, Emperor and Empress snuck out of the Palace and into the City. 

On the Bounty, the Ninja awoke to the alarm blaring and ringing in their ears. Cole was the first to scramble up to the bridge with the others not too far behind; a distress call coming from the Southern side of the city. Nya withdrew the anchor and pushed the thruster forward as the ship roared to life. Kai and Jay hung to the railings, their sleep-filled eyes scanning for the source of the call. 

“There!” Kai called, pointing at the last road leaving the city. Two figures waved up at the Bounty as a third lay in one of the figure’s arms. As the Bounty landed, one of the figures placed the sleeping form on the ground; the two figures sprinted back into the city and disappeared into the shadows as Jay’s sensor started ringing. 

Kai and Jay raced down the ramp, searching for the two people that had run off, unable to locate them as they approached the sleeping person. The pair paled at the realization; this was the Princess of Ninjago, the Jade Princess Harumi. Jay’s sensor grew quiet as he removed it from his pocket, watching as Zane’s beacon grew further and further away from their location. 

“Kai? Jay?” Nya called over their comms. “What’s happening down there?”

Kai took in a deep breath and said, “We’re gonna have a special guest on board.”

“Who?”

“The Princess of Ninjago.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to give thanks to Sayijo, Kiwi, and Jacket for continually supporting me while writing this. I love y'all so much.


	7. Emperor and Empress's Last Night

Harumi slowly opened her eyes as sunlight streamed in through the window, yet she noticed that the bed she was in was much softer than she realized. She lifted her head and noticed that yes, her blanket was still wrapped around her, but no, this was not her bed. She scrambled up and looked around, feeling panic crawl up her throat; she glanced around at the cabin-like room with four beds. One covered in a red blanket, one in blue, one black, and one green. Harumi was tucked into the black bed, though it was comfortable it was not her bed. 

“Oh, good; are you feeling okay, Princess?”

Harumi jumped and saw her hero, the Samurai, standing in the doorway of the bedroom; her eyes were filled with worry and concern. Harumi did not know what to say. All she could do was blink and nod her head. 

The Samurai- _Nya, right?-_ sat down on the red bed across from her, weary and exhausted. “I’m sure you’ve got a few questions, I’ll try to answer them the best I can.”

“How did I get here?” Harumi asked, her voice small and meek. 

Nya took in a short breath, her eyes flitting across the wood floors as she searched for the best answer. “The Palace was taken over during the night,” Nya said, sending a bolt of ice-cold fear through Harumi’s body. “Someone got you out of the palace and we found you.”

“Where’s the King and Queen?”

“We don’t know, we haven’t had the chance to search for them.”

Harumi fell silent for a moment. “What’s going to happen to me?”

“For now, you’ll be staying with us until we can return the palace back to the right hands and the… the bad guy is taken out.” 

Harumi’s stomach roared to life before she could ask where she could find something to eat, Nya stood up from the bed and held her hand out. She hesitantly accepted and followed her hero through the legendary ship that she had heard so much about. She glanced through the portholes in the doors; catching a glimpse of a queen-sized bed with two pillows, a room full of desks with papers, pens, and more, and a training room before walking up on deck. Ninjago City loomed in the distance, the sunlight glinted off of the numerous skyscrapers like a mirage in the desert. Harumi trailed after Nya as they walked up the first set of stairs, entering the rounded second floor of the ship. A large table with eight pillows on the floor was the first thing she saw; one red, blue, black, snow blue, gray, maroon, green, and white. To the right, there was a yellow rice paper door that was open, revealing the kitchen and the rest of the Ninja team. 

Kai, the red one, hissed, “We have to do something today! We know where they are! If we wait any longer, Zane and Kali-“

Cole, the black one, shook his head and gestured in Harumi and Nya’s direction. The room fell silent.

Jay, the blue one, grinned and chirped, “Good morning, Princess! How are you feeling?”

Harumi froze, was she supposed to act regal in front of the Ninja? Was she supposed to tell them to make her something to eat, or was she supposed to make it herself? Was she to address them as Mister Ninja and Miss Samurai, or by their names? Harumi decided to play it safe, “I am rather hungry, Mister Ninja.”

Jay covered his laugh with his hands, his smile was too wide to hide, “You don’t have to be formal with us, your highness! We’re a pretty relaxed group around here.” 

Harumi felt her tense body relax as Jay reached into the cupboard behind him and pulled out a ceramic blue bowl. Kai slid a box of cereal across the counter as Lloyd handed him a gallon of milk. Harumi felt a wave of awe wash over her, staring at the heroic Golden Ninja on admiration. This was the Ninja that had destroyed the Overlord and saved the city over a year ago, and she was only seven feet away from him! 

Lloyd glanced over and gave her a smile, her knees felt a little weak; Jay handed her the bowl of cereal and told her that she could take a seat anywhere at the table. Harumi thanked everyone and sat down on the maroon pillow, listening in on the Ninja’s hushed conversation. 

“If we don’t act tonight, the Overlord could track us down and-“ Kai hissed. 

“We’re hundreds of feet in the air,” Cole replied in a hushed tone. “As long as we don’t land, we should be safe for now.”

“But what if it was a trap?” Jay asked. “What if we were supposed to-“

Lloyd shushed Jay, Harumi wondered what they were talking about. 

Kai growled, “I’m standing by my plan. We sneak into the palace tonight and find Zane and Kali.”

_The Palace?_ Harumi thought, munching on her cereal. _Does he mean the Palace of Secrets?_

“Kai, there’s at least a fifty nindroids keeping watch in the palace alone; at least a thousand more in the city limits,” Nya said. “There’s no way we could get close without our cover being blown.”

“There’s lots of secret passages in the Palace,” Harumi chirped, catching the Ninja and Samurai’s attention. 

“What was that?” Nya asked. 

“There’s a ton of secret tunnels that go under the city to the palace,” she repeated, taking another bite. “When I’m not in lessons, I like to wander around when Hutchins isn’t looking.”

Nya sat down on the pillow next to her, her eyes filled with desperation. “Harumi, if we get the map to the city, could you show us the best tunnels to the palace?”

“Can I ask why?”

The Ninja and Samurai looked at one another. Kai sighed and sat down on the tabletop, “Two of our friends were taken by the Overlord, and we need to get them back before he does something terrible to them.”

Jay rushed off and returned a few minutes later with a rather large map and a few permanent markers of different colors. Lloyd took her empty bowl to the kitchen as she started tracing her favorite underground paths to the palace in the center of the city, biting her lip in concentration. The Ninja watch with bated breath before she finally called out that she was finished. 

The Ninja and Samurai crowded around her, each one murmuring to one another over the safest and most direct pathway. Cole pointed to the Northern curved pathway, following the line to the exit about a mile outside of the limit, deciding that was the best path to take. 

“Now, we plan and strike.”

Emperor and Empress felt a sense of dread as the ninja’s ship roared towards them; Emperor shifted the sleeping form of the Princess in his arms, waiting for Empress’s signal to place the child on the ground and return to the shadows before the Ninja could grab them and try to manipulate them once again. Empress gave a quick hiss as the flying ship started to descend, he quickly but carefully placed the sleeping child on the ground before his wife grabbed his hand; the pair sprinted back into the city and hid within the shadows of the buildings, watching silently as the red and blue ninja hurried to the child. The blue ninja seemed to stare directly at them as the red one picked up the Princess, holding her tight before the pair ascended the ramp once again. Emperor and Empress breathed a quiet puff of relief as the ship returns to the skies; once it was deemed safe, the pair turned and started on their journey to find the missing king and queen. 

Emperor and Empress walked past the hundreds of nindroids keeping guard both in the shadows and in front of buildings, past unnerved and terrified civilians glancing at the masked pairs from the corners of their eyes, and past children sobbing and cowering away from the soldiers. Emperor would find a security camera and tear open the panel on the pole, reaching in to grab the wires and connect himself to the footage. Empress would wander into random buildings and threaten the receptionists inside for information and access to guest books or security footage. Through the streets they wandered, yet they could not find any leads towards the disappearance of the false King and Queen. 

While wandering through the streets, Emperor froze and could not tear his gaze away from a café across the road. _Choco Cocoa;_ written in brown cursive with a dollop of whipped cream and topped with a cherry on top of the C’s. Something about it felt familiar to him, a longing- a sense of peace and joy as he stared through the bay windows. A flash of a memory- sitting at the table with a warm cup in his hands, quiet chatter, a woman sat across from him yet her face was blurred. Emperor stumbled back a step, quickly being caught by Empress. 

“My Emperor, are you all right?” she asked, her voice filled with concern. 

Emperor held his head as the memory faded away. “Yes, I believe I am fine. Let’s keep moving.”

The pair continued through the city, yet certain landmarks brought fuzzy memories to the surface, causing them to stumble about. A dance hall, a library, an empty lot, the café, a museum; the pair felt the world spinning uncontrollably around them, struggling to stay upright. A nearby nindroid soldier steadied their swaying and stumbling, its eyes flaring purple for a moment.

“The Commander and General await your return.” 

Emperor and Empress exchanged a nervous glance before nodding, relenting in their search. The soldier led the pair through the city as the sun set behind the towering skyscrapers, feeling a cold sense of dread envelop the pair like the ever-growing shadows. Perhaps the Commander was still in a good mood? The Palace loomed in front of Emperor and Empress, lit ominously by torches lining the gates and the interior walls. Emperor and Empress could feel the hundreds of eyes of their soldiers watching them from the shadows, knowing of their failure in catching the King and Queen. The massive oak doors creaked open, thundering in their chests, as the throne room was aglow with crackling torches. 

The Overlord sat on the throne with his violet eyes burning with glee; Cryptor stood next to him with his crimson eyes filled with disappointment. Emperor and Empress timidly approached the throne, falling to their knees and lowly bowing their heads as they removed their masks. 

“My precious Emperor and Empress,” the Overlord cooed. 

_He’s in a good mood,_ they realized. Their hearts skipped, ready to breathe a sigh of relief at his hopefully comforting words. 

“I know you lied to me.”

Emperor felt the world tumble out from beneath his knees. His blood ran colder than the burst of ice from his chest. Fear couldn’t begin to describe how terrified he was. 

The Overlord crooned, “I gave you a chance to come clean. I asked you if you found anyone, and what did you say?”

Emperor and Empress’s heads shot upward, feeling a foreign choking pressure claw up their chests, curling around their voice boxes and vocal cords like a serpent. Emperor struggled to breathe, his head twitched and snapped as a distorted voice spoke through their lips, _“No, the Palace was empty."_

The Overlord sneered, “You lied to me. You made us lose a valuable hostage. The Princess could’ve been used to let the Ninja surrender. The King and Queen could’ve been eliminated to avoid a revolution. But you two failed; you lied to me, betrayed Cryptor and me and I warned you both. You better be telling the truth, my dear Emperor and Empress, otherwise you will see how truly unforgiving I can be. For you see, I know you’ve seen the boxes in your chests; I put those there as a… a fail-safe, in a sense.” He stood from his throne, towering above the cowering Emperor and Empress as he descended the stairs. “There are four wires inside of you, each connected to a vital part of your systems. Wire one-“

Emperor and Empress’s heads snapped and twitched again, the distorted voice crooned, _“-Is connected to your vocal cords. I can manipulate your voices-“_ They twitched again, the voice switched to their own, **“-to even sound like your own. Wire two.”**

Emperor felt his body jolt around, lifting off of the ground as if he was being guided by marionette’s strings; his legs bowed, his arms were stiff- he had no control. 

“Wire two is connected to your limbic system and motor functions. I can control your body as easily as my own.” The Overlord started to circle around the pair, his eyes lingering hungrily on their chests and terrified expressions. He thrust his arm forward, stomping his right foot down. Emperor felt his body move without his consent, turning to face Empress as his arm thrust forward, his right foot slammed on the floor. He wanted to scream, he wanted to beg for forgiveness, he wanted to plead that they would never let him down again, but his voice would not obey his commands. 

“Wire three is connected directly to your main command line located in your spine. I can control your thoughts, I can see what you see. I know what you know.” Tears leaked from Emperor’s eyes, yet his body remained frozen in the battle-like position. 

The Overlord reached up and ran his fingers through Empress’s untamed obsidian ponytail, his eyes remained on Emperor’s expression as Empress flinched away from his touch. Fury burned in Emperor’s chest; he felt betrayed, he felt used, he felt… lost. Has this one failure really put them in their Commander’s disgrace? Even after everything they’ve done for him without question?

The Overlord chuckled, “The fourth wire may not have any control over your bodies, but I feel that it is the most important compared to the rest. This wire is connected directly to here-“ He stepped in front of Emperor and opened his panel, tapping his power source. Emperor felt his body jolt and twitch from the foreign touch. Empress whined through her clenched teeth, desperate to break free from their loss of control. “To think that this one wire could mean life or death if removed incorrectly. If you had betrayed me on any day other than this…? Let’s just say, you would not be standing here in my presence.” The Overlord turned and walked back up to the throne, releasing his grip over their systems. 

Emperor and Empress collapsed to their hands and knees, gasping, choking, struggling for air. The Overlord returned to his throne, sitting down with a bright grin, “As for your punishments, I was thinking of something more… _shocking,_ let’s say. Maybe even something that could leave permanent reminders of your betrayal, but physical pain can only hurt so much. I intend far worse.”

“Commander, please, we can do better!” Empress cried, her voice cracking. “We had a lapse in judgment, it was my idea! Please spare Emperor! Punish me but spare my love!”

The Overlord paid her no mind, continuing as if she hadn’t said anything. “I will make you two the perfect soldiers; no lapse in judgment, no chance of betrayal, you will follow everything I say with no complaints, no room for error. Emperor and Empress; you two shall be separated and rebooted, erasing those pesky emotions and personalities once and for all. Sadly, you won’t remember each other, but you will no longer be held back by each other. You two shall be my greatest warriors, no longer hindered by your earthly chains!” 

“Commander please forgive us!”

“We can do better!”

“Please don’t do this!”

“We’re sorry, please forgive us!”

“Forgive us, Commander!”

“Please, don’t do this! He’s all I have left!”

The Overlord turned away from the sobbing Emperor and Empress; ignoring their desperate pleas, their frantic screams, and their anguished wails as they held onto each other for dear life. He gestured to the guards posted along the walls, waving them forward; four soldiers peeled away from the shadows and towered above Emperor and Empress, their crimson eyes aglow with glee. “Separate them, do not let them reunite.”

Emperor wailed and screamed, thrashing and kicking wildly as two of the guards locked his arms in their grasps; his beloved was being taken away, he wasn’t going to see her again. They were going to be erased! Emperor dug his heels into the ground, desperate to halt the ever-growing distance between him and his beloved Empress. He had to get back to her, he had to save her, he couldn’t lose her! His love, his life, his everything screamed for him, tears pouring down her face. “Empress!” he shrieked. His body trembled worse than the blast of ice from his chest, his blood felt colder than nitrogen, he felt hopeless. “Empress! I’ll find you, I promise!”

Empress reached out for him, flailing against the soldiers’ grips. “Emperor! Emperor, I love you!” Her last words echoed in his head, striking his heart like a sword made of ice. She disappeared down a separate hall, her screams growing distant, yet he continued to scream for her. His promises, his desperate wails resonated through the palace; he would get to her, he would find her, he would get her out. Emperor had to, otherwise he would lose not only himself but his love forever. 

The two soldiers threw Emperor into an abandoned bedroom; he tumbled and skidded across the floor, slamming against the back wall with a heavy grunt. A breath, trembling arms, tears in his eyes, he had to get out. Emperor scrambled to his feet, sprinting to the door before it slammed shut in his face, locking with a heavy click. 

“No! No! No!” he wailed, slamming his fist against the oak door. “Please, you can’t do this! We can do better, we can do what the Commander asks, just please don’t erase us!” Stepping back several feet, he ground his teeth, clenched his body, and charged forward. His body slammed into the door with a heavy thud, but as he stumbled back with his head spinning, he realized he didn’t make a single dent or crack in the wood. Emperor shook his head and stepped back once again; he shook his arms, popped his neck, and charged once more. No dent. No crack. No difference. No good. 

Emperor slid his back down the door and stared at his trembling hands, feeling the ice stirring under his skin once again. The Lightning Ninja had told him something, what was it? _“You’re the master of ice! You are an elemental master, just like us!”_ Master of Ice? General Cryptor never told him about his powers, yet he saw the ice crawling up Empress’s arms and chest as she hugged him against her body. He felt the ice surge from his hands and his heart, freezing his body to sub-zero temperatures, causing his mind to blank and his vision fade to static. 

_Could I control it?_ he wondered. _Could I really use my ice to break out?_ Emperor glanced up at the golden doorknob and bit his lip; with one hand on the ground, he reached up and pressed his hand beside the doorknob, feeling the ice surge through his veins. _Come on, come on!_ he pleaded. He closed his eyes and snarled, feeling the ice threatening to break through his artificial skin. Tears poured down his cheeks; he had to get out, he had to get to Empress, he had to save her. _Empress._ His beloved, the moon to his sun, the earth to his rain, the snowflake to his winter. He could not let her be erased. He could not let anyone lay a hand on her. Her smile, her laughter, the glimmer in her eyes- gone in an instant. A scream erupted from his throat as a blast of ice shot through his fingertips and palms, forming a snowflake and shards of ice on the doorframe and floor. A bubble of laughter escaped his lips. He did it. _He did it!_ Grinning, he stepped back and rammed the door once again, feeling the lock shatter within the doorframe. 

The door slammed open as a dark shadow filled the frame, the familiar crimson eyes stared into his soul with sorrowful eyes. Emperor felt the joy from his ice vanish with his breath. “General! I-“

“The Commander has sent me to silence you. I guess I came at just the right time,” Cryptor said, taking a heavy step into the room. 

“General, please, we can do better! We can make it up to you and the Commander! You don’t have to do this!” Emperor pleaded, feeling his body involuntarily step back in fear. 

“You’ve lost your chance to make it up to the Commander. You lied to him, you caused us to lose the Princess, you failed in your mission. This is your punishment.” Cryptor took another step into the room. Emperor shrunk back against the back wall; his eyes flickered to the doorframe, his heart sinking when the eyes of the soldiers stared back at him. 

“General, please! We’re family! If you do this-!“

Cryptor shoved Emperor onto the bed, placing one knee between Emperor’s legs while his hand gripped his throat. Emperor trembled under his grip, frantically struggling for any grasp on Cryptor’s black and red uniform. “Do not worry, my Emperor,” Cryptor crooned, using his other hand to caress Emperor’s cheek. “When you wake up, you won’t remember any of this. Not even like a dream, it’ll be as if this never existed. You’ll… _You’ll be the Commander’s best fighter.”_

Emperor sobbed and trembled, struggling under Cryptor’s unrelenting weight. His words tumbled out of his lips, jumbled in a wailing mess. He couldn’t lose Empress. He couldn’t lose himself. He’d be nothing but a hollow shell, a drone without a soul. “Please, General! Please, don’t do this! I love her! I can’t be without her! Please, Cryptor!”

Cryptor’s eyes glistened with sorrow. “_Emperor:_ General Command- "

Emperor reared his head back and with every ounce of his strength screamed out, “Empress! I love you!”

“-Sleep Mode.”

Silence. Blank dulled eyes. A General contemplating his actions. A quiet click of a broken door. Emperor lay alone, lost in the darkness of his mind.


	8. Into the Palace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight Gore Warning

Cole, Nya, Jay, and Kai snuck through the earthen tunnels beneath the city, their only light illuminated from jade-like crystals growing out from the walls. It was a beautiful sight for the first half-mile, but by the mile marker Cole was getting sick of the green glow. Their footsteps were muffled, silenced by the soft soil underneath their shoes; a heavy stone sat in his stomach as the quartet approached their destination. Was it truly possible to save Zane and Kali, or were they walking into a trap? Could they restrain them long enough to get them out of the palace, or would they fight the entire time? He glanced at the sensor in Jay’s hands, biting the inside of his cheek at the red dot on the map; Zane’s position has yet to move since they left the Bounty about a fifteen minutes ago. Princess Harumi had said that he appeared to be in a guest bedroom on the Westside, but no one could understand why. Was he guarding something? Was he with Kali? 

“We’re getting close,” Kai whispered. “Are you sure that your sensor is still working?”

Jay nodded and faced the screen towards him, pointing at the top right corner; _LAST UPDATED: 9:23:05._ Kai nodded and took in a deep breath as the light at the end of the tunnel grew brighter- well, brighter due to torches lit around the courtyard. 

“Looks like Harumi was right,” Cole whispered, rushing forward the final few yards. The tunnel opened up in the shadow of a decorative rock in the back courtyard, hushed whispers of the nighttime breeze shuddered the long grass as Cole poked his head above ground. There were two guards within twenty feet of the opening, focused on the looming Palace of Secrets about a hundred feet North. A tall wall, looming fifteen feet high hit the opening and the Master of Earth in darkness. Cole pointed at Kai and gestured to his right, making a cutting motion across his neck before sneaking out of the tunnel. Kai, decked out in all black, plastered himself against the wall, removing a dagger from his pocket and crept towards the unaware guard. 

Cole’s heart pounded, thundered, roared in his ears; he prayed that the nindroid couldn’t hear the fear rushing through his veins. Fifteen feet. Ten feet. Five feet. He reached into his black hoodie and removed the switchblade from his pocket. Two feet. He was right behind him. Cole swung his arm around the unsuspecting nindroid’s neck, rearing up his blade and jammed it into the nindroid’s chest, feeling a jolt of electricity run through the blade and into his hand, but his grip remained locked on the handle. The guard shuddered and twitched in Cole’s grip, sparks flying from the gaping wound in its chest before the light from its eyes faded. Carefully Cole placed the nindroid on the ground and looked over at Kai, seeing a similar result. With a thumbs up and a soft whistle, Jay and Nya crept out of the tunnel, Nya joined her brother while Jay snuck over to Cole’s side. 

“Remember the plan,” Cole whispered. “We lead the way, see where Zane is, and you take out any droids with your lightning.”

“You restrain Zane while I overload him. Kai and Nya will get Kali while keeping guard,” Jay finished. With the plan fresh in their minds, the group crept through the courtyard and ducked behind shrubs and statues when one of the dozens of guards searched through the area. Cole pressed his back against a statue of a woman holding a rose, holding his breath as the red glow from the guard’s eyes lit up the wall beside him; he looked over at Jay, Kai, and Nya as the light illuminated the statue. Don’t move, don’t breathe, don’t think. The light paused over the statue, one breath, two breaths, three breaths, before continuing on. With a nod, the team of four sprinted the remainder of the way and pressed their backs against the first floor exterior of the palace. 

_“There’s a door to the server’s rooms on the far left side,”_ Harumi said, pointing to the bottom left quarter of the palace. _"I think that should be safe to enter.”_

Cole reached over and silently turned the knob, feeling relief flow through his body when it clicked open; he stepped inside the dark room and glanced around, the room was stale and empty, void of any life- mechanical or biological. Jay stepped inside and pulled out his sensor, the blue glow illuminating his face. 

“Zane is in the left hallway, about three rooms down. It's weird that he hasn’t moved and his heartbeat hasn’t changed in half an hour,” Jay murmured. 

“Could it be possible that they changed his beacon and we’re being tricked?” Kai asked. 

Jay shook his head, “Unless they completely redesigned him with a new heart, his beacon would not change.”

Cole crept through the empty storage room, running his hand along the wall until he found the doorway and eventually the doorknob. Pressing his ear against the doorframe, he held his breath and listened for the heavy footsteps of the patrol. Cole lifted his hand as a pair of footsteps came from the far left. 

One, two, three, four, five- the footsteps turned and grew louder, Cole continued to count the steps. Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen- the footsteps passed by the door. Seventeen paces to the left. The footsteps faded to the right. A breath, two breaths, three breaths, the coast was clear. Cole opened the door a crack and looked around, opening the door a little more to poke his head out into the hallway. Once he confirmed it was safe to progress, he stepped out and looked around the hallway. 

The ruby and gold hallway stretched to the right about fifty to seventy-five feet; three doors lined the opposite wall from Cole’s location, the doors painted a golden brown while the doorframe a deep red. Chandeliers hung throughout the halls, the glass teardrops twinkled and tinkled within the air current as minuscule rainbows danced along the wooden floor and walls. Cole stepped out into the hall and slunk to the left, followed by Jay then Nya with Kai at the end. 

Without a sound, Cole peered around the corner and felt a jolt of fear shoot through his veins. Two soldiers were posted at Zane’s location, standing tall with their gazes locked forward; both soldiers held a silver sword in their hands, one left and one right. Cole relayed what he saw when heavy thunderous footsteps grew louder to down the hall; he peered back down and immediately felt his blood freeze in his veins. Cryptor was walking towards the two guards, though he did not appear alarmed. Rather, he seemed distant. His voice sounded unsure. 

“Empress has been locked in the right-wing and shut down,” Cryptor said, standing in front of the soldiers. “The system reboot is planned for dawn; make sure no one enters this room to find Emperor. Make sure no one says General Command: Sleep Mode Five Minutes.” The guards’ heads suddenly fell forward, the red glow faded from their eyes as Cryptor walked away. 

“Uh, what just happened?” Jay whispered as Cryptor disappeared down the hall. 

Kai asked, “Does this feel like a trap to anyone else?”

All four ninja nodded. Cole furrowed his brows and said, “Kai, Nya; I need you two to find Kali, search the right Wing and keep your eyes out for trouble. If anything seems too obvious, don’t be afraid to fall back.”

The siblings nodded and stormed down the hall; Cole and Jay crept down the hall with their blades glinting in the chandelier light. They approached the guards, but something caught their eyes on the floor; half of a snowflake lay burned into the ground and up the doorframe, glistening ethereally. A second smaller snowflake was burned into the wood beside the doorknob. Jay waved his hand in front of the left guard’s face, flinching in fear yet the droid remained unresponsive. 

“Should we take them out?” Jay murmured. 

Cole shook his head and reached for the doorknob, continually glancing at the guards only a foot or so away. Prayers filled his head as flash images of the guards jolting to life and lunging for them burst, he could only hope that Jay could have the reflexes needed to protect him if that happened. The door opened with a soft click, swinging open without a sound as it revealed a meager bedroom consisting of a dresser tucked against the right wall, a bookshelf, and a bed tucked parallel to the left wall. A figure lay unresponsive in the center of the bed, his legs hanging off of the side with his arms slightly splayed out. His eyes were wide open, staring blankly at the ceiling with his mouth agape, as if he was frozen in the middle of screaming. 

“Zane!” Cole cried, rushing into the room. “Oh, Zane, what did they do to you?” The Master of Ice remained motionless, unresponsive to Cole’s queries. With a grunt, he heaved his brother into his arms and looked to Jay, nodding when Jay waved him forward. Jay turned off the sensor and tucked it into his hoodie’s pocket, hurrying through the hallway back to the servant’s quarter with Cole following behind. The pair stepped inside the room and waited in the darkness for Kai and Nya to return. 

A soul-shattering scream shattered the air. An alarm started blaring through the palace as a pair of footsteps came sprinting down the hallway. Kai and Nya burst into the room and sprinted past with Kali bouncing in Kai’s arms. 

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Nya hissed. 

Cole and Jay glanced at one another before sprinting after the siblings as an army thundered after them. “What did you two do?!” Jay screeched as a storm of lasers burned the ground surrounding them. 

“We didn’t do anything!” Nya snapped. “The Overlord just happened to see us leaving her room!”

Cole could feel the nindroid soldiers growing closer, seeing shadows leap off of the wall to their left and right, flooding out of the palace like a storm of shadows. The stone holding the tunnel grew closer, they were so close, almost there, almost to freedom! Kai disappeared into the tunnel as Nya urged them in, Cole could feel the desperation to escape bubbling up in his throat. They were so close!

Jay screamed out, collapsing onto his hands and knees; Cole caught a glimpse of Jay’s right calf sizzling and blackened through his black pants. Nya sprinted back and picked up Jay, curling him against her chest before following Cole into the tunnel. 

“Kill the Ninja!” the Overlord shrieked. “Destroy them! Return Emperor and Empress to me!”

“Go! Go! Go!” Nya screamed as the nindroids flooded the tunnels behind them. 

Cole took a chance to look at Zane’s lifeless face tucked against his chest as the team stampeded away from the wave of death crashing towards them. His brother, his oldest friend, his dear Zane felt dead in his arms, nothing how he used to be; the light in his eyes- gone, his laughter and grin- non-existent, his love and patience- replaced with emptiness and a void. “We’ll save you, Zane. Just as we’ll save Kali. I promise you.”

The light at the opposite end of the tunnel grew brighter as the roar of the Bounty echoed through the area. Freedom was so close, less than a quarter-mile to go; they can make it! The nindroids grew closer, the gleaming of the metal screaming for their blood slashed at the air inches behind their backs. The three ninja burst out from the opening, gunning for the Bounty and it’s fired up engines. 

“Lloyd! Get the Bounty in the air! Now, now, now!” Nya screamed into her commlink. 

The ship’s back boosters and thrusters burst with a sudden blast of energy; the ramp rose from the ground, bouncing slightly as Kai leaped on, holding his hand out to Nya and Cole. Nya scrambled on before turning back to the last ninja. The ramp was now several feet in the air, he could hear Kai and Nya screaming his name but he knew he couldn’t even throw Zane on board. What to do, _what to do?_ A loud clinking caught his frantic attention- the anchor! _That’s it!_ Cole threw Zane over his right shoulder, making sure his grip on his back was as tight as possible. _Here we go, Cole._ One breath, thundering footsteps, two breaths, screaming metal, three breaths, Cole launched himself into the air. Weightlessness. Silence. He braced himself, crashing into the chain with a heavy cry; Cole wrapped his free arm around the chain and breathed a sigh of relief as the Bounty sailed into the nighttime sky. A sea of furious red eyes and lasers glared and fired up at the ship; Cole barely dodged as several lasers struck the hull and the sails but not enough to take it down in a sea of flames. 

“Cole! Can you climb up?!” Kai screamed over the railing. 

Cole’s eyes scanned the chains, feeling a familiar calm overtake his frantically racing heart; he knew this, he could do this. It’s just like rock climbing! With a grin, he placed his left foot in the hole and gripped a foot or so above his head with his hand, hoisting himself up. His right foot hooked on top of the next chain, making sure it was stable before he removed his left. Foot by foot, yanking himself up with his hand while keeping a tight grip on Zane’s swinging body over his shoulder. Nya and Kai held out their hands, terror in their eyes as the wind roared through their hair. Only a few feet more, a hand away, Cole reached up and gripped Nya’s hand. 

Nya and Kai held tight to him, pulling with all of their strength as his feet scrambled for any grasp on the hull. Kai reached over and tossed Zane on deck, flinching from the sick thud his limp body produced as his dead eyes continued to stare into the sky. Cole leaped over the railing and crashed into Nya and Kai, trembling and shaking from the adrenaline pumping through his veins. 

A shuffling sound to their right caused the trio to glance over, seeing Jay limp over with a weak tearful smile on his face. He laid down beside Kai and gave a shuddering sob. “We did it. We actually did it! _Holy shit my leg hurts!”_

Cole couldn’t help it; he started to laugh. A soft chuckle that bubbled into full-blown deep-in-his-chest laugher that could’ve shaken the Bounty if it was docked. Kai started to laugh, a mix of joy, shock, and tears, followed shortly by Nya. They actually did it. They got Zane and Kali to safety! They actually caught a break! Suddenly Cole fell silent. Now what?


	9. Cryptor's Mission

“Emperor and Empress have failed me for the last time,” the Overlord growled, slamming his fist on the arms of his throne. His violet eyes burned with fury and disgust, frustrated at their continual failure in not only tracking down the Golden Ninja but for giving up the Princess of Ninjago who was sleeping only two hallways down; he could’ve used her for trade, to threaten the Ninja in surrendering either the Golden Ninja or the entire team. Those idiots just had to have a soft heart and give her up to the Ninja. He turned to his loyal right-hand-man and huffed, “My Cryptor, you’re the only soldier that has never let me down.”

Cryptor stood ever so slightly taller, his eyes burning brighter from the compliment. The Overlord had never said anything positive to him, only about Emperor and Empress and the tasks they had completed. From conquering Ninjago’s numerous villages to continually escaping the Ninjas’ surprise attacks, to their loyalty to them; it always seemed that they could do no wrong in his eyes, and it made Cryptor sick. Even under the Dark Lord’s control, those two were still goody two shoes, sucking up to their leaders to get ahead. Then, something changed; Empress kept the latest attack from Cryptor, lying to him, pretending that everything was okay but those Ninja did something to Emperor. He was jittery, jumpy, always looking around as if something would leap out from the shadows and attack him. 

“Emperor and Empress need to be put in their place,” the Overlord snarled, digging his fingers into the wood. “There’s still too much vulnerability in their systems, too many weaknesses. As long as there’s still emotions and memories in their heads, there’s a chance they could betray us.”

“What are you thinking?” Cryptor asked. 

The Dark Lord sneered, “A complete system reboot. We can make them the best soldiers, their loyalty unwavering and without question; we can make them unstoppable killing machines.” 

“Sir, are you sure about this? A system reboot is irreversible-“

“Are you questioning my decision?”

Cryptor bowed his head, “Of course not, my Dark Lord. I would never question your judgment.”

As the palace doors opened, Cryptor couldn’t help but feel sorry for Emperor and Empress as they hesitantly approached the throne; their eyes may have been focused on the Overlord and himself, but he could see the terror in their distant gazes. The disloyal ex-ninja collapsed to their knees, bowing their heads so low their foreheads could’ve touched the ground. Did they really think that the Overlord would be so forgiving at their most recent failures?

The Dark Lord had a mischievous expression, one that made Cryptor feel sick to his artificial stomach. He rested his head on the knuckles of his right hand and cooed, “My precious Emperor and Empress…” 

Cryptor caught a glimpse of hope in their eyes. _You fools truly are naive, do you not see the fury burning in the Dark Lord’s eyes?_

The Overlord continued, “I know you lied to me. I gave you a chance to come clean. I asked you if you found anyone, and what did you say?”

Cryptor wanted to look away, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the Overlord’s control over the pair. Emperor and Empress’s heads jolted upwards, their faces twitching and contorting in expressions of terror and panic as their breaths seemed to choke in their throats. Their fingers dug into the grout between the laminated tiled floors, shaking and trembling from the foreign presence lurking in their bodies. _“No, the Palace was empty,"_ Emperor and Empress choked out, their voices slightly distorted from the Overlord’s control. 

The Overlord stood from his throne, mocking his once-loyal soldiers with the control he has over their feeble systems. Cryptor wanted to tune him out, he didn’t want to listen about what he could do with their bodies- he feared that if he stepped out of line, he would end up like them. He knew what the wires did, he knew where they were connected, he had to watch as the Overlord put it into Zane and Kali’s- _Emperor and Empress’s_ systems. At first, it had been in glee- he reveled in the agony that the former Ninja were drowning in, he couldn’t wait to have two of his former enemies under his command; he was ready for the Overlord to take control over Ninjago, to kidnap and drain the Golden Ninja’s elemental powers to reform his physical form, but now? Now, he was scared. He was scared of being replaced, cast aside, thrown out into the unforgiving darkness or worse- to be like Emperor and Empress, to be without free will or to be turned into a lifeless puppet that the Overlord could possess. 

His attention snapped back to the present when Emperor and Empress collapsed to the floor, gasping and shaking for precious air; their eyes wide in uncontrolled fear, realizing just how badly they had fucked up in the Overlord’s presence. Empress rested her head against Emperor’s shoulder, her arms trembled like a tree during a storm as his head hung towards the floor. 

The Overlord sat back down on the throne, talking about his ideas for punishment, Cryptor couldn’t help but shudder from the ideas the Dark Lord had thrown out. Electrocution? Ten lashes to the back? Perhaps both? Cryptor didn’t know what to say, struggling to think of anything that could lessen their punishments for disobedience, but didn’t have the chance when the Dark Lord perked up, sneering excitedly. Emperor and Empress continued to beg for forgiveness, pleading desperately to save each other from penance. “Emperor and Empress; you two shall be separated and rebooted, erasing those pesky emotions and personalities once and for all. Sadly, you won’t remember each other, but you will no longer be held back by each other. You two shall be my greatest warriors, no longer hindered by your earthly chains!” 

Emperor and Empress began to wail and scream, pleading and imploring for a second chance, for mercy for their misguidance. They could do better, they didn’t need to be separated, they couldn’t be separated- Cryptor had to look away, flinching when their wails grew sharper, screeching for one another as Emperor and Empress were dragged apart. He was taken to the left-wing while she was placed in the right, each locked in a bedroom until the system reboot set for Dawn. Emperor and Empress continued to shriek, scream, howl, and wail for one another, yet a strange banging echoed from the left. 

The Overlord rubbed his temples and growled, “Cryptor, shut them up.”

With a bow, Cryptor strolled down the stairs and to the left hallway; the red and gold hallway stretched for quite a while with a perpendicular corridor leading to the right-wing behind the throne room. About halfway down, two soldiers watched the door with fascination as Emperor’s blood-curdling screams erupted from the other side; a wave of ice-cold air shot out from the door as two snowflakes made of ice burned into the ground beneath the doorframe and next to the doorknob. He was trying to escape! Cryptor shoved aside the two guards and slammed open the door, immediately spotting Emperor scrambling to his feet. If the former Master of Ice could grow any paler, he’d be the color of snow at the terror in his eyes. 

“General! I-“

Cryptor took a step inside, forcing Emperor towards the bed, “The Commander has sent me to silence you. I guess I came at just the right time.”

Emperor trembled, his eyes flickering anywhere for an exit, yet he knew the door was blocked by the guards and Cryptor was too strong to overpower. His voice cracked, “General, please, we can do better! We can make it up to you and the Commander! You don’t have to do this!” He took another step back towards the back wall and the bed.

Cryptor stepped to the side, angling him towards his final resting place. “You’ve lost your chance to make it up to the Commander. You lied to him, you caused us to lose the Princess, you failed in your mission. This is your punishment.”

Emperor held his hands up, tears brimming in his red eyes. “General, please! We’re family! If you do this-!“

_We are not family,_ Cryptor wanted to say. _We were never family. You were built by a loving father, I was not. You were built to protect, I was built to fight. We may be androids, but we are not family._ Cryptor reared his arms back and shoved Emperor onto the bed, towering over the trembling former Ninja as he positioned himself to make sure there was no escape. One knee placed between his legs, one hand gripped his throat- not tight enough to suffocate him but enough to keep him down, while the other hand stroked his cheek. Emperor struggled to fight, his hands searching for any grasp on Cryptor’s clothes in pure desperation. “Do not worry, my Emperor. When you wake up, you won’t remember any of this. Not even like a dream, it’ll be as if this never existed. You’ll…” Cryptor felt his voice falter. _You’ll replace me._ “You’ll be the Commander’s best fighter.”

Emperor’s struggling grew into a frenzy, thrashing his head to the side, arching his back, flailing his arms and legs against the unrelenting pressure Cryptor was pushing against him. He sobbed, “Please, General! Please, don’t do this! I love her! I can’t be without her! Please, Cryptor!”

Emperor never used his name. He was truly desperate- scared of never seeing Empress again, frightened of this punishment, terrified of being erased. _I am sorry,_ Cryptor thought. _Sleep mode should shut him up._ “Emperor: General Command-“

Emperor slammed his head and shrieked, “Empress! I love you!”

“Command- Sleep Mode.”

Emperor fell limp under his grip, his neon eyes growing blank and dull as he grew deathly still. Cryptor took in a deep breath, straightened out his uniform, and stepped out into the hall closing the door behind him. He tried to lock the door, but it seemed that in Emperor’s attempted escape he shattered the lock. He shook his head and wandered to the right-wing, hearing Empress’s wails echoing through the corridor. _At least she wasn’t a master of elements so this one might go a little easier,_ he thought. The two guards looked at him as he approached, stepping aside as he unlocked the door- Empress crashed into him as she burst out from the room. 

“No! No! Let me go!” she shrieked, struggling in his grasp. “Emperor! _Emperor!”_

Cryptor picked up the writhing Empress and carried her back into the empty bedroom, hearing the door close behind them. He ground his fang-like teeth, bracing against her kicks and thrashing punches as she was tossed onto the bed. 

“Emperor! Emperor, please!” she sobbed. “I can’t be without him! He’s my everything! Please General, don’t do this!”

“Everything will be fine, Empress,” Cryptor crooned. “Just doze off for the night and everything will be better in the morning. You won’t remember any of this. The Overlord will be pleased with your improvement. Just sleep, and let your worries fade away.” Cryptor leaned down and whispered her sleep mode protocol, feeling her body relax in his grasp as her head lay to the side. Tears dripped into the pillow as Cryptor stood back up, unsure of what to feel with his actions. He told them the truth; they would not remember their struggles in the morning after the reboot, but they wouldn’t remember themselves either. Just soldiers following orders without a soul, without emotions, without memories to make them unique. As he stepped outside of the room, a warning message popped up across his vision; two soldiers within the back courtyard have been destroyed. Cryptor replayed their last moments, catching a flash of daggers plunging towards their hearts before static filled the feed. He rolled his eyes; of course the Ninja would attempt to sneak into the palace, but were they wanting to attack the Overlord or get their friends out? If the Ninja were to get their former teammates, perhaps he could maintain the Overlord’s good graces, being relied on more than those two ever could be?

Cryptor turned and faced the soldiers. “General Command: Sleep Mode Five Minutes.” The guards’ heads dropped forward, their eyes grew muted as Cryptor made sure the door was unlocked. Hopefully, that should be enough time if they can find Empress. He turned around and returned to the left-wing, catching a glimpse of a black shadow at the opposite end of the hallway. The Ninja were here, perhaps they could get their former teammates out. He stood in front of the guards, keeping his voice just loud enough that the Ninja would hear them, but not the Overlord. He cleared his throat and said, “Empress has been locked in the right-wing and shut down. The system reboot is planned for dawn; make sure no one enters this room to find Emperor. Make sure no one says General Command: Sleep Mode Five Minutes.”

He could hear the Ninja murmuring to themselves as he walked away, ready to return to the throne room. He knew the Ninja could get Emperor and Empress out as long as they remained silent and stealthy- He froze. This was the Ninja he was thinking of, _they couldn’t be stealthy to save their lives!_ He rolled his eyes and walked back into the throne room, knowing there were a few minutes left on the guard’s sleep modes. He turned to look at the Commander only to find the throne empty. Where was the Overlord? Where could he have gone? Cryptor started looking around when a sudden scream shattered the air, sending a cold shiver down his back. _I think the Overlord saw some of the Ninja,_ he thought, sprinting towards the right-wing once more. 

Cryptor skidded into the hallway, catching a glimpse of the Overlord’s form disappearing down the opposite end of the hallway. Perhaps he should just wait here until the commotion dies down? He returned to his position beside the throne and watched the live feed of one of the soldiers chasing down the Ninja; he could see Emperor and Empress within the Earth and Fire Ninja’s arms, but the Lightning Ninja was missing. Rewinding the footage, he was surprised to see one of the soldiers had actually hit him in the calf, burning about a palm-sized section of skin from a laser blast. Cryptor leaped out of the soldier’s vision as the Overlord stormed back into the room. 

“The Ninja just stole Emperor and Empress out from under us!” the Overlord shrieked, punching a hole into the wall beside the doorframe. Cryptor flinched from the crash. “They outran our soldiers, escaped on that stupid ship, and now have a chance to get them back to their original states!”

Cryptor remained silent. If he said anything, made any movement, the Overlord could turn his anger against him. The Dark Lord continued to pace, grumbling and snarling to himself. He paused. He turned to him, “Cryptor. This mission is solely for you. Hunt down the Ninja and the Princess. If Emperor and Empress are too far gone- kill them all. Leave no survivors. You shall end the Ninjas once and for all, do not return until the mission is complete.”

Feeling a mixture of dread, pride, and determination, Cryptor removed the double blades from their black sheaths on his back and stormed out of the Palace. Locking onto Emperor and Empress’s signals coming from the boxes in their chests, he knew where to go. Those Ninja will have no idea what’s coming for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love you, Sayi 💖


	10. Save One to Lose Another

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight Gore Warning: Organs
> 
> *Added an extra part at the end*

Kai took Jay to the infirmary once the adrenaline from their near escape wore off, Nya and Cole picked up Zane and Kali once again and hobbled down to the lowest level of the Bounty. Nya’s workshop, home of her Samurai X Mech and her numerous works in progress, hummed to life when she flipped on the power switch. Stretching from the tip to the thrusters, from side to side, there was a division wall in the center of the basement, attached to the wall were two screens glowing with the Samurai X logo. The lights illuminated the seemingly endless hull of the ship, the numerous tables, boxes of scrap, wires and cords, filing cabinets overflowing with blueprints both designed and ready to be used, mech arms and limbs, prototype weapons, and so much more. 

Nya murmured a quick apology to herself and tipped two of her tables over, dumping the scrap onto the floor with a crash. She placed Kali on the first table and tipped over the second table, hurrying to the screens as Cole placed Zane on the newly emptied space. With trembling hands, she found the wires needed and started plugging them into the control panel below the screens, Cole was quickly opening their panels on their arms and chests. 

“Are you sure they’re not going to feel this?” he asked. “What if they wake up?”

“That’s what I need you for,” Nya said, keeping her eyes on the computers warming up. “Cryptor did say that they were shut down, but we can’t trust him. Not after everything he’s done. He could’ve set this whole thing up as a trap, hence the Overlord nearly hunting down Kai and me.” She grabbed a handful of wires and turned around as the dual computer screens chimed, Kali and Zane’s digital blueprints appearing on the screen. Nya handed Cole one bundle of wires and pointed at the ports in Zane’s arms and chest, telling him which wires went where before she turned her attention to Kali’s panels and mechanisms. The right screen hummed as Zane’s diagnostics were uploaded with the final plug being inserted in his chest; the left screen hummed while Nya prayed whatever virus in their systems wouldn’t corrupt her computers. 

The door creaked open as Kai and Jay hobbled down the wooden central stairs. Nya felt nerves tighten in her stomach, “Jay, are you sure you’re up for this?”

Jay waved her off, “I’ll be fine, Kai put some numbing cream on it and I’ve taken some pretty powerful painkillers. I might be out for a while after this is done, but not before.” A gleam of determination glinted in his eyes, “We’ve got some friends to save.”

Cole stayed a few steps back, ready to pounce if Zane or Kali jolted back to life. Kai stood beside him in case Jay needed support or was about to collapse from a weakened leg. Jay and Nya frantically typed into the keyboards embedded in the control panels, their eyes scanning over the hundreds if not thousands of lines of code. Kai and Cole felt beyond lost at the numbers, symbols, and letters filling the screens, yet Jay and Nya were in their element. 

“Okay, I think I’ve isolated a section of code within Zane’s system,” Jay said. _“OC: Vocal control?”_

“Take it out,” Nya said, finding a similar section within Kali’s motor control. More scrolling, thousands of lines of code, another foreign section. The cycle repeated for the third time, everything seemed clear on the fourth cycle. Motor function, vision control, vocal control- the code seemed to have been erased. Time for the hard part

Nya helped Jay hobble over to the tables, wrapping her arm around his chest before he leaned against the wood. Nya pointed to one of the many toolboxes around the hull and asked if Kai could hand it to her; once it was placed on the area next to Zane’s head, Nya and Jay dug inside for the thinnest and longest needle nose pliers, a wired camera connected to the computer, a small flashlight, and a pair of thin small tongs. 

“Nya, you’ve got steadier hands,” Jay said. “I can man the camera while you take out whatever is stuck in him.”

Nya nodded and handed him the camera and flashlight, leaning down into Zane’s chest cavity as the flashlight shown up into his throat. Her eyes traveled up the red wire and found it tangled within Zane’s vocal cords; hissing through her teeth, she started to maneuver the pliers towards his vocal cords. A two-pronged wire was connected to the two sections of his cords, but they were not buried within his flesh. 

“Okay, turn the pliers about one degree to the right,” Jay murmured, keeping his eyes on the screen. “A little further, you’re lined up to the first wire. It looks like you need to tug it forward, then up, and then back towards you.”

She huffed and pinched the minuscule wire; Cole felt his body lurch forward in case Zane decided now would be the perfect time to wake up, yet he remained emotionless and blank. “Move forward,” she murmured, biting her lip. The wire slid with her movement. “Then up.” Ever so slightly, she lifted the wire up. 

“Can you twist it to the right?” Jay asked. 

“To the right.” Carefully, she twisted her wrist as the right-angled wire turned ninety degrees. “Back toward me.”

Jay grinned, “One wire down, two to go.” The second wire was opposite to the first one, Nya just had to do the same maneuver to retrieve it, murmuring her actions with Jay’s coaching and coaxing. “Move it forward, upward, to the left, and back towards me.” Pinching the main part of the red wire, Nya maneuvered it out of his throat and rested it on the box within his chest. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. 

The second wire was tucked behind the top of his lungs and split into two separate parts, each burrowing into the endoskeleton between his shoulders. Nya gave a huff and started on the right shoulder opposite of her and Jay; he maneuvered the camera while Kai had to move one of Zane’s lungs slightly out of the way, allowing Nya enough room to get her pliers near the wires. Kai gave a shudder at the feeling, desperately trying to make sure he doesn’t damage Zane’s lungs while using enough force to keep the area open. Cole had since turned the shade of Lloyd’s gi, holding down Zane’s shoulders as a precaution. 

“The wire is coiled around the structure twice,” Jay said. “The end is on the right side.”

“I see it,” Nya replied. Slipping the pliers forward, she followed Jay’s instructions, pinching the end of the wire with the tip. Dipping the pliers down, she slowly uncurled the thin wire.

“Almost there, Nya,” Jay coaxed. “Just a little further.”

The wire sprung free, she pinched the thick end of the wire and pulled out of his chest. Nya nodded at Kai who gently eased Zane’s lung back into place as Jay removed the camera. Kai took in a deep breath and eased the left lung out of Nya’s path as the cycle repeated for a second time. The wire was on the left side, curling around counterclockwise, and Nya grumbled as her grip on the pliers tightened. Uncurl, uncurl, uncurl, not too fast, glance at the screen, the wire sprung free. The second of the four red wires was eased out of Zane’s system. 

Cole leaned over a nearby trashcan and gagged as Kai took a step back, shuddering from the foreign feeling trapped on his hands. Nya turned to Jay and asked if he needed to sit down. After a moment and some internal debate, he nodded and sat down on a nearby stool, rubbing at his bandaged calf. 

“Kai, can you help me with the camera? I need to see where I need to go.”

Wiping his hands on his pant legs, he carefully grabbed the thin camera and started to move it along the third bottom wire, finding the end embedded within Zane’s vertebrae. Nya grumbled a curse and turned to Cole whose color was slowly returning to his face. Reluctantly, he walked over and carefully gripped Zane’s diaphragm, moving it slightly out of the way. He definitely felt ill, but he had to stay strong for his brother. 

“Steady hands,” Nya murmured. Kai couldn’t tell if it was just to him and Cole or herself included. The third wire was split into four minuscule strands and a core strand; each strand was embedded within the discs between the vertebrae, two above and two below the core wire. “Sorry Zane, this one might hurt.” Nya reached down and pinched the top strand, gently tugging it out of the soft collagen; Zane’s body suddenly jolted, slamming against the table, yet his eyes remained dull and distant. Clenching her teeth, she moved to the second wire- Zane’s head slammed against the wood. Jay, as fast as he could, limped over and held down Zane’s head and the top of his chest. 

_Wire three,_ Nya thought, tugging it out. Zane’s legs flailed, his heels banging and limbs thrashing wildly. “Two more,” she said. “Almost there, Zane; just hold on a little longer.” The last small wire was yanked from the vertebral disc, his hands shook, repeatedly bashing against the surface as the pain receded. “Last wire; Jay can you take Cole’s spot? Kai, Cole, I need you to hold him down.” Nya took off her jacket and tucked it underneath Zane’s head, then resumed her spot with her pliers. Cole and Kai took their places on both sides of the table, gripping Zane’s elbows and knees to keep him from flailing and potentially harming them or himself. 

“Last one, last one,” she murmured, gripping the thicker wire. She looked at each ninja, each teammate, each brother in his eyes, and received a confirming nod in response. Her hands remained strong and steady, squeezing the core wire between the prongs, and started to tug upwards. 

A blood-freezing scream erupted from Zane’s throat, shattering the tense air; his back arched off of the table over half a foot as Kai and Cole struggled to hold down his thrashing limbs, tears brimming in their eyes as Zane continued to wail and shriek in agony, yet his eyes remained lifeless. 

“A little further, _just a little further,”_ Nya murmured. She tugged again, Zane slammed his head against the jacket beneath him, frantically trying to escape the pain.

The screens behind the group flared to life, blaring warnings in bolded red letters. “No, no, no! You can’t do this! Don't do this to me!” Nya sobbed, her hands starting to tremble. 

[MEMORY LOCKDOWN: TEN… NINE…] 

“C’mon Nya, you can do this!” Kai urged, his grip waning on Zane’s flailing limbs. 

Cole grunted, “You’ve got this!” 

Nya tugged again, and again, and one last time. 

[FOUR… THREE… TWO…] 

The wire popped out. Zane’s screen fizzled. 

[MEMORY LOCKDOWN ABORTED- CONNECTION LOST] 

As Zane quieted down, falling into a limp silence, Kai, Cole, Jay, and Nya turned to Kali’s screen. 

[MEMORY LOCKDOWN ENGAGED: FORTY PERCENT… FIFTY PERCENT… SIXTY PERCENT… SEVENTY PERCENT… EIGHTY PERCENT… NINETY PERCENT…] 

[MEMORY LOCKDOWN COMPLETED: REBOOTING] 

[USER IDENTIFICATION: KALYPSO] 

Nya rested her forehead against Kali’s cold porcelain skin, tears dripping down onto her face. “I’m so sorry, Kali. _I’m so sorry.”_

Kai rested his hand on Nya’s shoulder, giving her a comforting squeeze. “There was nothing we could do to stop it,” he murmured. “We can still get those things out of their chests. We need you, Nya. They need you.”

She clenched her fists, slamming them on the table beside Kali’s shoulder, determination and fury burning in her watery eyes. “One more for Zane, and he’ll be free. Then we do it again for Kali.” Nya grabbed the pliers once more and walked around the table to Zane’s left side and stared at the five-pronged wire implanted within the gem silica-like disc glowing and pulsing rhythmically, the central core wire was buried within the center part of his heart. 

“Cole, there should be a pair of straps in that box behind you,” Nya commanded. As he hurried over to grab it, she told Kai and Jay where to coil the straps around his thighs and stomach, tightening the polypropylene straps to keep him immobile. The sounds of metal squeaking and grinding together filled the anxious air for the next minute until everyone was reluctantly satisfied with the tightness of the restrains. 

Nya's hands started to shudder once again. If she messed this up, if she took it out wrong, if her hands shook too much- Kai’s hand wrapped around hers, easing the pliers from her grip. 

“I can do it,” he murmured. “You need to take a break.”

Nya reluctantly released the tool, Zane’s lifeline, taking a step to the side as Kai hovered above Zane’s heart. “You’ll want to get the pliers as close to the base as you can without touching his heart. Tug upwards, but go slow to make sure there’s no damage.”

Kai nodded and reached down, gripping the first wire tight, and started to pull up. Zane started to scream, his eyes started to flicker to their familiar sapphire blue as his head slammed against Nya’s jacket. Kai tugged again, the first wire popped out with a flurry of sparks; Zane’s voice started to crack as he thrashed side to side. The second strand gave Kai a little resistance, his face contorted into a snarl as it jolted out of his heart. 

“S-S-St-Stop!” Zane’s cracking voice wailed. 

“Keep going,” Nya murmured. “We can’t stop until it’s out.”

Cole held down Zane’s head, quietly murmuring apologies, pleading for him to calm down as Kai yanked out the third wire; another wave of sparks erupted from the glowing gel-silica disc. 

“P-PLEAS-S-S-SE!” Zane wailed, his fingers scratching and digging into the table’s surface. 

“Almost there, Zane,” Jay urged. “You’re almost there, just a few more wires! C’mon buddy, just hold on a little longer!”

Ice started to form underneath Zane’s hands and arching back. Nya snapped, “Be ready in case his ice blasts out again.” 

The fourth wire snagged against the metal plates, sending a jolt of electricity into Zane’s system; his body shuddered and thrashed against the bolt, his eyes flaring a bright blue once again. Kai stepped back and shook his hands, steadying his nerves once again. _Two more wires,_ he thought. He reached in once again, pinched the strand, and yanked it out, flinching from Zane’s pleading wails begging him to stop. 

“Last one.”

Nya reached into a nearby toolbox and pulled out a slightly bigger set of pliers; taking Kai’s spot by his heart, she reached in and clamped the pliers against the core wire. She tugged. It barely budged. He screamed. She yanked. It barely moved. He shrieked. She heaved. It remained embedded. He thrashed. 

Kai picked up the pliers, grunting and hissing as the last wire refused to budge. He braced his body and using all of his strength pulled back, it slipped a little further out. Kai’s grip suddenly gave out, tumbling back into a pile of boxes with a resounding crash.

Cole stepped up, picking up the discarded pliers from the floor, and clamped the tool against the base of the core. He started to yank, grinding his teeth; the core started to slip out. 

“S-S-STOP!” Zane shrieked, sobbing in a broken voice. 

Cole’s body grew tense, yanking again and again; the ice was spreading down the table as Nya and Jay stepped back. The core slowly continued to slip out, but his patience was non-existent. “Fuck this,” he growled, slamming the pliers onto the ground. 

“Cole, wait what are you-?!”

The Master of Earth reached in and grabbed the wire with his bare hands, screaming out as he pulled upwards, Zane’s back arched with each yank. _Almost there! Almost there!_ his mind screamed, feeling the core grow weaker against his iron-like grip. He tugged, he yanked, Cole screamed- the wire, the box, and Cole flew backward and crashed into Kai as he stumbled to his feet. 

Zane’s wails of agony silenced, collapsing limply onto the table as his eyes burned their familiar sapphire blue. Nya turned to the screen, sighing in relief as Zane’s scans glowed green. 

“Is he going to be okay?” Jay asked. 

Nya smiled and replied, “I think so.” She turned to Kai and Cole as they clambered to their feet, “Are you two okay?”

Kai and Cole nodded. “A little sore, but I’ll live,” Kai murmured. Cole agreed, then turned to face Kali still laying dormant at Zane’s feet. “We’ve got one last friend to save.”


	11. Blank Stares and Warm Hugs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry I haven't updated this one in a while, been kinda stuck on it. 
> 
> **TW: Panic Attack from Zane**

“What’s it like being the Golden Ninja?” Harumi asked, her legs swinging underneath the table in the bridge. 

Lloyd gave a soft sigh, tearing his eyes away from the star-filled sky in front of the bow of the Destiny’s Bounty; his grip on the wheel tightened as flashes of memories enveloped his mind. The suffocating heat of a volcano, green lightning and golden gleams, a cloud of tea and tightening clothes, a dragon with violet eyes towering above him. “It’s… difficult,” he murmurs. “I love being a Ninja, I love being with my family, but the pressure weighs you down. Having a whole nation look to you to save them, it’s… unforgiving.”

“Would you ever want to not be a ninja?”

Lloyd leaned against the wheel, deep in thought. “To be honest; I’ve always wondered what my life would’ve been like if I hadn’t been chosen as the Green Ninja. My mother left me when I was too young to remember, my father banished to the Underworld, my uncle… never looked for me. Sure, being the Green Ninja is hard, but it’s given me my family and more homes than I could’ve ever imagined. The Ninja, they’re more than teammates to me, they’re my true family and if I had to make that choice, I would want to be a Ninja.”

“Is green your favorite color?”

Lloyd couldn’t help it. He let out a laugh from the sudden change of question. “I don’t know if I really have a favorite color, I guess I see the beauty in each one.”

“Dogs or cats?”

“Cats; I’ve been trying to convince the others to get a cat someday. I’ve got Kali and Nya on my side, Jay’s getting close.”

“Chocolate or vanilla?”

Kali’s screams were faintly heard from below deck. 

“Chocolate. Vanilla ice cream is good but that’s about it. Dark chocolate is too repulsive to me.”

“Where are we going?”

A smile graced Lloyd’s tired face, “There’s one last place that we can be safe at; my father opened a monastery about sixty miles Southeast of Ninjago City. It should be a safe place to hide out until we can figure out what to do next.” _And I haven’t seen Dad in months._

“Lord Garmadon?” Harumi asked, her voice peaking in interest. “Didn’t he save the city like two years ago?”

“I mean he helped kill the Great Devourer, but it was a team effort from all of us to stop the snake.” Silence fell over the bridge as the ancient ship sailed across the midnight skies. 

Harumi murmured, “I don’t like being a princess. It’s so restricting and cold.”

Lloyd glanced over his shoulder, “You weren’t always the Princess, right?”

She shook her head and laid across the table, her eyes downcast. “Mama and Papa, the last time I saw them was before everything fell. They were so nice, so warm, laughter and sweets- nothing like the King and Queen were. They’re so cold, so mean; I can’t play as much, I have to learn more, see more people.” She blew out a raspberry and mocked in a nasally voice, _“Sit proper! No slouching! Now’s not the time for drawing! Princesses don’t slurp soup! No running in the halls! No fun allowed!”_

Lloyd snorted, “That kinda reminds me of Darkley's, but more in the opposite ways of teaching.” Giving a short chuckle, his voice also became nasally as he fake-scolded, _“No manners! Villains don’t apologize! No, this needs to be eviller! You’re the son of the Dark Lord, why aren’t you acing these courses! Stop asking for candy!”_

Harumi gave a sleepy bubble of laughter and murmured, “I’m glad you’re not a meanie,” before dozing off a minute later. 

Lloyd shrugged off the top layer of his golden gi and placed it over the sleeping princess, returning to the wheel a moment later. He glanced at the map on the screen to his right and felt his heart race with excitement. Only about ten more minutes of flying before they arrived at the monastery where he could be with his father once again, away from the watching eyes of the nindroids in the villages across Ninjago. He was so sick of being trapped on the Bounty- he loved the ship, his first true home, but he needs to stretch his legs on solid ground for a while. 

The door to the bridge opened with a squeak, Cole stepped inside looking pale and airsick. “Hey, Green Bean, how are you doing up here?” he murmured, catching a glimpse of Harumi on the table. 

“I’m doing pretty good, ready to get off this ship ASAP,” he replied. His heart pounded, “How’s Zane and Kali?”

“They’re resting, but we had a… a major problem while fixing Zane.” He took in a shaky breath, “We missed a line of code in their systems; when Nya was taking out some of the wires, there was a memory lockdown thing that started. We didn’t have time to save Kali.”

“What does that mean?”

“To be honest, I don’t know. Nya thinks that all of Kali’s memories are now inaccessible, but we’re not sure if that means she’ll be back to normal or if she’s stuck as Empress. We’ll find out when they wake up later.”

Lloyd’s hands started to shake from his grip on the wheel, he steadied his breath and asked, “What about the others?”

“They’re all sleeping by now. Do you need me to finish the flight so you can rest for a bit?”

Lloyd shook his head, “No, I’m okay. We’ll be landing in like five minutes anyways.”

Cole leaned against the control panel beside the wheel, covering up a yawn. “Speaking of which, where are we flying to?”

“Dad’s monastery, there’s plenty of space for the Bounty and there are only small villages within the area.” In the nearby distance, the pair could see a five-tiered pagoda resting next to a crashing waterfall tumbling over the mountainside. Small huts dotted the rolling hillsides, some aglow with lights, numerous fruit trees rustled in the nighttime breeze as a waterwheel creaked and groaned, powering the monastery grounds. Lloyd grinned and carefully brought the Bounty down outside of the grounds’ walls, powering down the ship excitedly. He ran to the door and paused, glancing back at Cole who smiled at him. 

“Go on, I’ll tuck Harumi in Kali’s bed for now. Tell your dad I said hey.”

Lloyd raced down the stairs, leaping over the side of the railing, making sure to tuck and roll through the soft grass before clambering to his feet. Relishing in the stability of the earth beneath his thundering feet, Lloyd shot through the open gate as the main doors to the pagoda opened, revealing a figure standing in the doorway. Faint red eyes watched him as he descended the stairs, grinning excitedly. 

“Dad!” Lloyd cried, jumping into his father’s waiting arms. Strong arms wrapped themselves around his back, lifting him up and spinning him in a circle as his father enveloped him in a warm hug. Relief flooded his veins as his father ran his fingers through his hair. 

“It’s so nice to see you again, Lloyd,” Garmadon murmured, stepping back an arm's length. 

Lloyd’s smile faltered ever so slightly, “It’s great to be back here, though I wish it was at a better time.”

Garmadon glanced at the Bounty a short distance away, “I’m guessing that your friends are on the ship?”

“Yeah, everyone’s sleeping. Dad, we’re going to need to hide here for a while; it’s a rather long story.”

Garmadon gestured to the open door leading into the pagoda, “We can discuss it in the morning. Your bedroom is just as you left it.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Lloyd grinned, following him inside the pagoda. Hesitating in the doorway, he glanced back at the darkened Destiny’s Bounty and prayed that his friends were going to be okay in the morning. 

A roaring headache thundering through his head, pounding and pulsing underneath his skin; a grunt escaped his lips and clenched teeth, struggling to open his eyes. 

[REBOOTING…]

_“You’ll be the Commander’s best fighter.”_

[REBOOTING…]

_“Please, General! Please, don’t do this! I love her! I can’t be without her! Please, Cryptor!”_

[LOADING…]

_“Empress! I love you!”_

[WAKE UP, ZANE]

Zane gasped and shot up, his eyes wide with terror; was something crawling up his throat? Was there something raiding his mind; controlling his movements, seeing through his eyes, speaking the words on his tongue? Foreign objects twisting past his esophagus, coiling like a venomous snake, ready to strike. Strings striking through his limbs, ready to manipulate and control him against his will. Knives embedded in his spine, threatening to destroy his cord and mobility. 

Zane flinched and jumped back when warm, strong hands gripped at his shoulder; his eyes trailed up the maroon sleeve before breathing a faint sigh of relief. “Hello, Nya,” he murmured, the shadow-like sensations fading away into the recesses of his mind. 

Nya, with dark circles and tears brimming in her eyes, gave a joyous sob of relief and launched herself into his arms. “Oh, Zane! You’re back!” Nuzzling into his neck, her bubbles of laughter and tears shook him to his core. 

“Nya, I… I’m so sorry!” Zane choked out, feeling his body start to shake and grow cold. He remembered. He remembered everything. From the warehouse to Cryptor and the Overlord, from conquering the innocent villages around Ninjago to the boxes- Zane shot up, a scream erupting from his throat. “I’m bugged! The boxes! They want to kill us!” Zane reared back and tugged at his hair, tears pouring down his face. “Get it out! Get it out! Get it out!” His hands started digging, scratching, clawing at the top of his panel. “Get it out! Get it out! Get it out! I can't be Emperor again!”

Cole, standing a few feet behind Nya, leaped forward and yanked his hands away from his chest. “Zane, you’re okay!” Cole cried, restraining his hands above his head. 

Nya reached up and held down Zane’s thrashing head, “Zane! Zane, look at me! You’re okay, you’re not Emperor anymore! We got it out! The code, the wires, the box- everything is out!”

“No, no! I can still feel it!” he wailed. “He’s in my head! I can’t get him out!”

“Your code is clear! There’s nothing inside you!” Nya cried. “We can show you, but you have to calm down! You’re not Emperor! You’re not with the Overlord! You’re safe with your family!”

Zane’s chest heaved and shuddered with each shaky sob. “I have to see. I have to see it for myself,” he blubbered, quivering with terror. He would not be content, he would not be at peace until he saw that he was truly free from the Overlord’s control. 

Cole let go of Zane’s hands, taking a careful step back. Nya reached beside her and pulled out a mirror. Zane opened the panel on his chest, terrified of what he would see in the mirror. He reached over and accepted the handheld mirror from Nya and looked into his chest; his power source pounded and pulsed its familiar neon blue, faint scratches reflected in the metal protecting the gem-silica disc. His lungs were still intact, his esophagus moved with his swallow, and he was more than relieved to see that the box was gone. His body was his once again. With a shaking hand, he closed his panel and closed his eyes, resting his head on the table once more. Tears continued to roll down his cheeks as he gave a choked sob, a watery grin grew on his face, “Thank you, thank you so much.”

His head rolled to the side, his breath caught in his throat at the sight of Kali asleep on the table next to him. Her pale skin seemed to glow ethereally within the lights of the Bounty’s hull, her obsidian hair untangled from its usual ponytail, flowing out around her shoulders and flowing off of the table in magnificent waves. Her chest rose and fell with each soft breath, yet Zane’s eyes never trailed from her reposeful face. “Kali?” he murmured, reaching his hand out. “My love? Please, wake up.”

Cole placed a hand on Zane’s shoulder, glancing at Nya with a cautious look. “Zane, we, uh, we need to tell you something.”

Zane instantly felt sick. A cold settled over his body, glancing between his family members. “What’s wrong?”

Nya took in a shaky breath, reaching over to hold Kali’s hand, “While we were removing the boxes, there… there was a line of code hidden in both of your systems. I think it was programmed into the boxes themselves. We… we only had time to save you. Kali suffered a memory lockdown, and, to be honest, we don’t know what that means.”

Zane struggled to sit up, his body screamed at him to lay back down, but he refused to remain sedentary for long. Cole placed his hand on his shoulder, giving him a concerned look. “She could still be Empress?”

“We don’t know, and that’s what we’re scared to find out.”

Kali’s breathing started to quicken, her face contorting into discomfort; Zane felt the air grow tense in fear and worry. Cole released his shoulder, he could see his body coil up, ready to pounce if Kali- _Empress,_ attacked. Zane struggled to breathe, terrified to see his beloved still under the control of the Overlord. Her eyes opened, flaring their familiar neon blue, glancing around at the ceiling for a moment before spotting Nya holding her hand. 

Kali struggled to sit up, leaning heavily on her elbows as everyone remained silent; once she was sitting upright, she grinned and chirped, “User identification?”

Nya blinked, “W-What?”

Kali repeated, tilting her head slightly, “User identification?”

“Nya Smith?”

“Greetings, Nya Smith! My name is Kalypso. How may I assist you?” Kali asked. Her eyes flickered over to Zane and Cole and repeated, “User identification?”

“Cole Brookstone?”

Zane was too stunned to speak. Kali never called herself Kalypso, only her mother called her that. This was wrong. _This was all wrong!_

Kali continued to stare at him, not even the faintest flicker of recognition in her eyes. Once again, she repeated her question, as if pleading to hear his voice. 

He didn’t want to talk. He wanted to fall back asleep and pretend that everything was still okay; that they never had been kidnapped by the Overlord, tortured and manipulated, that they were never Emperor and Empress, that Kali hadn’t forgotten everything they’ve gone through. Their dates, their silent moments, their proposals, their wedding- all gone. Reluctantly, he choked out, “Zane Julien, your husband.”

“Greetings Cole Brookstone and Zane Julien! How may I assist you?”

“Kali, what do you remember?” Cole asked, cautiously. 

She tilted her head again, her smile faltering, “Kali? Is that my name? Interesting. I do not have any previous memories beyond this point in time.”

“Nothing?!” Nya cried. 

Kali grew serious, “I’m sorry, I did not mean to cause distress.”

Zane had to look away, he couldn’t bear seeing his beloved stare at him as if he was a total stranger; as if years together meant nothing, erased in a single night. He felt a hand on his shoulder, glancing at Cole once more. 

“Lloyd and Garmadon wanted to talk to you when you’re ready. Wanna head on deck?”

He nodded and felt him wrap his arm underneath his, helping him to his feet; Zane’s knees instantly turned to jelly, trembling and knocking together, he would’ve collapsed to the ground if not for Cole’s strong grip. Breathing a soft thanks, the pair started on the journey up the wooden stairs; Zane, at the middle of the steps, glanced back at Kali watching him. Her eyes were too sad, too lost, to empty to belong to her. He lowered his head and continued to the main deck.


End file.
